Earthquake 30th October

 

Yesterday afternoon, on what started as just a normal sunny day, I decided to investigate Ladies Beach.  Historically, this was an area reserved for ladies to sunbathe and swim but now it’s a very popular spot with tourists, full of restaurants, bars, shops and hotels.  It’s a nice little stretch to the south of the main town of Kusadasi.  The front is pedestrianised which is good for a stroll.  I parked up on the main road about 50 metres away and walked down.  There are a lot of Irish bars and restaurants along the front and I could hear quite a few conversations going on with Irish accents, as I passed by. Further on are what seem to be more Turkish restaurants and bars.  At the far end, is White House Restaurant and I decided to have a tea and toastie there.

I sat at a table against the wall that overlooks the beach and started to read my Kindle whilst waiting for my toastie.  At this point, I should say that for many years I’ve suffered on and off with labyrinthitis, which is an imbalance in the inner ear.  Without warning I can start to lose my balance or even feel as if I’m going head over heels.  Suddenly, everything was shaking and as I’m starting to assume I’m having an attack, all the staff ran out of the restaurants on to the promenade and the shaking got worse and loud.  It lasted for quite a few seconds before tailing off.  By this time, people were pouring out of a nearby hotel.  I shot up out of my chair but not knowing what to do.  I was shaking badly and as things settled, the staff brought me some water and told me everything was OK. 

I realised that if things were going to get worse, I wasn’t in the right place.  Ladies Beach is set on a hillside and we were at the bottom with steps leading up away from the beach.  If there was to be a tsunami or a worse earthquake, I needed to be heading uphill and away from the buildings which.  But as it’s quite a densely packed area for a distance, it wasn’t going to get me quickly to a safe place.  I just wanted to get back to my apartment which being only a few years old is built to withstand most earthquakes, we are situated high up and surrounded by open space – the best place to be.

I followed the lead of the Turks who were remaining outside the buildings, making calls to check on family etc.  Then people started pointing to the beach below us and taking photos.  At the point of the quake, people on the beach and in the sea didn’t appear to have even noticed it but now most were aware and were coming on to the promenade.  The sea was appearing normal but what everyone was looking at were two large, roundish patches of sand, close to us that were wobbling and were then surrounded by swirling water, as if sinkholes were being formed.  As the tide came in the patches got fully covered and disappeared.

The staff told me that because the quake was shaking side to side, whilst it was a strong one, it was OK but if the shake was up and down that was really bad!

According to https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/ which I follow, it was a magnitude 7.0.  A few hours later, I was sat on my bed back at the apartment and I felt shaking again.  I shot outside but my friends who were already out there said nothing had happened.  I later found out that I had felt an aftershock which registered 5.0.  AA news reports that there have been at least 389 aftershocks with 33 more powerful than magnitude 4.0.  http://www.koeri.boun.edu.tr/sismo/2/tr/ shows a map of where the aftershocks are happening; they register about 5 minutes after they occur and across the top is a rolling banner showing the latest ones – location, magnitude and time.  So maybe the ‘off balance’ I feel is the aftershocks, as they are constantly happening.  It’s a Turkish site but my Chrome automatically translates all Turkish sites to English so I am able to read the information.

I went in to the onsite restaurant for dinner last night which was busier than I expected and I wonder if, being used to it, it prompts the Turks who are safe to remember to enjoy life!  I’m trying to follow their attitude of getting on with normal life.

The effects in Izmir have been devastating.  Izmir, at 123km, is further away from where I am, than I’d thought.  So far, there are 24 dead, over 800 injured and of those 743 were in Izmir the worst affected area.  Some people will have been injured by falling debris rather than being trapped in collapsing buildings and this is why you have to either hide under a table or similar, or get out in to the open.  I can’t find out how many buildings have collapsed; the last figure I read was 20.  These are likely to be older buildings but it’s horrifying seeing them crumble to the ground so easily.  After an initial 4000 rescue workers and 20 sniffer dogs being sent to the area, there are now over 6000 people assigned to rescue and medical services.  The Turkish Red Crescent, Coast Guard and military are all involved in the rescue operation and there has been a very quick response.  I haven’t been able to find as much information of the impacts on Greece but I did read that sadly 2 children on Samos were killed and I’m sure the effects are just as devastating.

Today, it is lovely and sunny although very breezy with some really strong gusts at times but hopefully it won’t hinder the rescue operations in both countries.