Aftershock(ed).

I come from a country that is visited by typhoons so often that they are named alphabetically to indicate how many had come and gone and where floods can rise so high it can wipe off an entire suburb. I also had already been through the wildest winter storm Wellington City had in the past 36 years so fierce I was stranded in the university and was forced to walk home at 2:00 in the morning, braving a 0 degree-Celsius temperature.

So I thought I was already toughened up when natural disasters strike - until a 6.5 magnitude earthquake rocked Wellington's Central Business District (CBD) yesterday at 5PM. Although I was not hurt and there were no major damages from our apartment, that got me shaking until I can no longer distinguish my own body's tremors and those of the aftershocks.

Wellington CBD after the quake: Fragile and dangerous.
(Photo by Ryan Curran, from his Facebook account). 

I guess this fear comes out of a feeling of helplessness and lack of sense of control over things. While the entire building where I live was swaying, all I can do was wait under my table, where I took refuge. I wanted to get out and run away from the city as far as possible but I cannot do anything.

Unlikely refuge: This is where I took cover during the earthquake.

So as tremors were becoming weaker and less frequent this morning, I took that as a vantage period - a window of opportunity - to be back in control.

Got my "emergency kit"sorted out. I think all people in any part of the globe should have one. Upon coming here in New Zealand, we were encouraged to prepare an "emergency kit" so we could be prepared when natural disasters strike. This kit includes water (at least three liters), food (canned, tinned, dried - for at least three days), essential medications, warm clothes, toilet paper, rubbish bags, torch/flashlight, batteries, and first aid kit. It would also be good to have a can opener or a Swiss knife (although I have yet to get one).

Life in a bag: Having something to "grab 'n go"
lessens the anxiety of what to do next.

Downloaded an app that monitors earthquakes. Knowledge is power. It is always best to be informed. Good thing New Zealand has its own website, which can also be downloaded as an app, that monitors geological hazards in the country. This is called GeoNet. It gives you real-time details of the intensity, magnitude, depth, and location of the quakes. New Zealand is a network of many major fault lines. Earthquakes happen here everyday, mostly unnoticeable though.

Quake App: The two icons on the upper-left part of the screen indicates
that there have been two earthquakes near the city as of that time. 

UPDATED: I forgot to say that you are able to adjust the setting of the quake alerts that you want to be alerted of (say, what minimum level of intensity you are keen to be aware of). You don't want GeoNet icons popping out almost every minute on your phone screen.

Talked to folks at home. While I truly appreciate being checked on by quite a lot of good friends here in Wellington, including the Philippine Ambassador herself, nothing beats having familiar and familial faces (and smiles) to assure you that everything's fine. Being 8,000 miles away from home in an extremely dangerous situation like this can really be traumatizing.

Nanay and Tatay: "What's important is that your brain
didn't get some serious shaking!" :)

Played Christmas songs. Oh yes, there's really something about Christmas that keeps my hopes alive. Almost cried upon hearing Whitney Houston's version of "First Noel" when I played it this afternoon. I am really looking forward to celebrate Christmas meaningfully after these unforgettable experiences!

Ate and dined out. Boy, I really ate few hours after that quake! Stress levels were all-time high and my energy was wasted. It was also good that the dinner hosted by our apartment manager (and was scheduled tonight) pushed through. It was therapeutic to talk with people who live in the same building with you (some were even few floors up) and experienced the same scary situation as you did.

Yes. This was how we coped with the earthquake.

Despite the earthquake, it's reassuring that there are still some establishments that opened and tried to normalize the city's operations again. Most buildings, offices, even universities, were closed today due to city-wide inspection.

Quake note: From the coffee shop just beside our building.

Blocked: We had to do some rerouting on our way to the dinner.

Thanked the God who is in control. Above all, I am thankful at how these entire drama reminded me of the most important things in life. I was looking at all my stuff in my room as they swayed and realized that I can actually survive with just those few items in one backpack! When you are in this city, you will really be tempted to buy and buy and buy a lot of things, which you don't really need. When calamities strike, you wouldn't be able to bring them all anyway. So make sure that what you have are only the essentials - enough for you to live and be productive.

It also goes without saying that you just saw a list of the things that truly matter to me: my family, getting informed and learning new things (and alright, my cell phone), music, food, and just having some good time talking with old and new friends.

Guess being "aftershocked" is not that scary at all. If anything, it was enlightening.

Keep calm and stay alert, everyone!