Earthquake Aftershocks and Effects

 



It's now just about 48 hours since the massive earthquake that affected both Turkey and Greece.  My limited experience of them in the UK and here previously, hadn't prepared me for one of that magnitude, or for the ongoing effects. There must now have been close to a thousand aftershocks, if not more, as they are still happening every few minutes.  Many are below 2.5 magnitude but a few have been just under 5.0.  The photo is a screenshot and whilst that looks bad enough, when you zoom in on the site, there are more and more aftershocks under the 'blobs. I've also noticed that they are spreading out and not as concentrated as they were earlier. 

I suffer from occasional bouts of labyrinthitis and I've been wondering if I'm feeling the shakes, which don't seem to be visibly noticeable, is it my labyrinthitis playing up or am I imagining it?  This is every few minutes and would appear to tie in with what is being reported as aftershocks.  I've made contact with another labyrinthitis sufferer here and she is experiencing the same and wondering if she's imagining it.  

I've just been watching a video of the earthquake taken from the cctv of a restaurant kitchen in the Seferihisar district of İzmir, which I believe is the worst affected area. If you watch it, you'll see how bad it was and how long it lasted. This was much worse than where I was, and I thought that was bad!

https://www.facebook.com/haber7/videos/299522984347890/

As the earthquake started I was sat reading my Kindle.  I was holding it and I didn't drop or bang it but shoved it in my rucksack.  When I got home, I found it wasn't working properly. It seems the connection to the on/off button has been loosened, I guess, as it takes ages to switch on/off or cancel the screensaver, so I'm leaving it on for now.  The touch screen isn't as responsive either.  Funnily enough, I'd been considering upgrading to a newer model as I've had this one for over 10 years;  It was one of the first 'touchscreen' models, so I can't complain.  Obviously this is of no importance but just interesting as I'm sure it was caused by the earthquake.

There is a massive rescue operation going on still and sadly the death toll and injuries are mounting.  Even in Kusadasi people were injured and buildings showing damage are being examined by engineers to determine if they can be repaired or need to be demolished.

Many people have been sleeping outside with tents, food, blankets etc provided and some hotels have been advertising free accommodation for those who have lost their homes.  There are widespread calls for donations, mainly of tangible goods to replace those that have been lost although there is also the opportunity to donate money.

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