May 28, 2009, at 2:30 AM, I was jarred awake by my husband, Dave trying to pull me from our bed. As I tried to grasp what he was doing, I became aware of the roar of (what sounded to me like) a freight train careening through our loft bedroom. But there wasn’t just the sound of a train; there was also the violent shaking.
Our wooden cabana accepted the assault, bending to the force, as a blade of grass will bend to the wind, and we were as helpless as ants, trying to hold on. But for the 45-60 seconds that our home was resigned to the attack, it was impossible for Dave and me to maintain our footing.
With every step we took, the loft would shift position, tossing us side to side, while the train continued to roar. I still didn’t understand what was happening, and as I tried to make my way to the stairs with Dave, I watched with surreal fascination as our easel-back, stand-up mirror shuffled across the room like a penguin or Charlie Chaplin would.
We finally made it to the stairs, and clung to the railing with both hands, while we descended. Although I now appreciated the need to get out of the cabana, the sound of glass smashing when it hit the floor, and larger items falling over with a thud coming from below, was so terrifying that I hesitated, actually froze when I was only part way down the stairs.
If the circumstances had been different, I would have been mad at Dave for being so bossy. But I was grateful for him insisting I keep moving. We sidestepped around the shards of glass and made our way out of the cabana. The moment we were outside—the shaking abruptly stopped.
We had just been hit by a 7.3 Earthquake on the Island of Roatan, Honduras!
Now, there are some who say it was 7.1 and the duration was anywhere from 30-60 seconds (depending on who you ask.) There are others who have insisted that I am wrong to say Roatan got hit by an earthquake.
Regardless of how powerful it was (according to the Richter scale) or how long it lasted, or even, what is appropriate to call it—I first-hand experienced an earthquake.
In the grand scheme of things—we can say we were lucky!
On Roatan the threat of a tsunami never materialized, there was no loss of life, and for the most part damage was minimal. Compared to other countries in recent and past history that not only endured the terrifying experience of an earthquake but also watched in horror as loved ones were lost and their homes collapsed—my sincerest sympathy and condolences to all of them!
If you were not on Roatan on that fateful day, May 28, 2009, you may be asking yourself, “What earthquake? I didn’t hear about an earthquake on Roatan.”
That’s because within minutes of it happening, news agencies around the world CNN, BBC (to name two) posted a news-alert, but then dropped it when they called people on the Island and found out that there wasn’t enough death and destruction to deem it newsworthy. But, it was newsworthy to those of us who experienced it—which hopefully will not repeat in our life-time.
Should we leave Roatan, just in case? Should you avoid coming here?
Earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes (name a natural disaster) happen all around the world every day. Do people abandon their homes out of fear of what might happen? Of course not!
Roatan is my home, I sure as heck didn’t like what happened, but…Roatan is where I want to be. Besides, I’ve heard that since the earthquake last year, the odds are in our favour that another of that magnitude won’t happen again for a hundred years.
Monday, May 31, 2010 The Roatan Vortex Show on Roatan Radio the theme will be When Your World Gets All Shook Up.
For those of us on Roatan, a year ago, it was an earthquake. But earthquakes aren’t the only thing that shake up your world–what’s shaken yours?
Originally from Ontario, Canada, Genny Ross-Barons moved to Roatan, Honduras in 2007 where she shares a cabana with her husband and island dog Mona in Sandy Bay, Roatan.
She spends her day-to-day life and ‘positive initiatives’ on Roatan, sharing untold stories through her blog ‘Life & Writing, on Roatan’
