7.2 Magnitude Earthquake Experience

Have you ever experienced the most terrifying event that you thought that it could be the last day of your life?

October 15, 2013, the town of Bohol was hit by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake. It was recorded as the most powerful earthquake that happened in the country ( Philippines ). It caused a massive distraction on the place and also to the nearby places such as Cebu. They compared the energy released by the quake like 32 Hiroshima bombs. Because of the impact of the quake many people had reportedly died and got injured. According to the report o f the NDRRMC, over 1.2 million people were affected by the said earthquake. Many infrastructures was also destroyed including houses, churches, schools and buildings. Roads and bridges were also heavily damaged.

That day when the deadliest earthquake occurred, I was at Cebu at that time because I was happened to study there. It was a normal Tuesday morning for us. There was no class since it was declared as national holiday. It was 8 in the morning, I was transferring the heat water from the kettle to the vacuum flask ( thermos ) when I felt the ground grumbling. I was barefooted at that time so I could really felt the rumbling of the ground. At first, I thought it was just a sound caused when there's a big truck passing by. Seconds after, the ground were shaking as well as our house. It was a very strange and frightening experience when the very foundations of the house and surrounding area shake uncontrollably. All of us got panicked and ran outside the house. My grandmother was left at our store so I dashed  back at the store and assisted her outside. When we got in the street we can't see anything because of the dust from an old building across our street. It was really zero visibility. I was trembling as the ground continued shaking. I heard many people shouting out of fear. Some were praying loudly. At that moment, I thought that it was gonna be my last day. I was already crying while holding my grandmother. I was very worried about my family. I am not ready to die yet.I still have many dreams in life that I haven't achieved yet. The earthquake lasted for thirty seconds. When it stopped and the dusts were clear, I saw many people in the street. Some were also crying while holding their children. It was also then we realized that one of my aunt was left inside the house. She was stuck in the bathroom. She took a bath when the earthquake hit and she was not able to open the door. My aunt has physical disabilities that's why we were grateful that she was fine.

We were terrified to go back inside the house because there was still after shocks. But later, I managed to go back at the house to get some things. When I entered the house, I saw our floor cracked and some of our things broke. Evening came but most of the residents in our street still stayed outside of their houses, including us. We were afraid because there was a fake message spreading that there will be another earthquake and it is stronger than before. Because of that, we decided to sleep in the street. It was my first time sleeping in the road. My father called to check our state. I told him that I want to go home and finish my studies in our province. I was terrified by that experience. Luckily, my father agreed. So, I went home bringing the trauma. Even in a little shake, I got easily freak out. It took me years to overcome that trauma.

Because of that traumatic experience, I realized that our life is unpredictable. We don't know what happens in the future. What do you want today, do it today for all we know we might not get tomorrow.

Lead image source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.pinterest.com/amp/pin/808536939327331582/

Image 1 source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Bohol_earthquake

-fredyzza07-❤️