It was just a regular Monday night and we were sitting in the living room watching the Varsity Cup semifinals, when something peculiar happened.
At about 7.35pm, my youngest daughter suddenly had a very confused look on her face, and asked “Hey, why is this couch moving?” That’s when we noticed everything in the living room was moving – from the coffee in our cups to the light fixtures. Although we were just a teeny bit concerned, it was quite an experience, and we all giggled through the whole 60 seconds of the event.
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My first reaction was to reach for my phone and check Facebook to see what people were saying; and boy, I was not disappointed! It ranged from people sharing their locations and asking if anyone else had felt it too, to just some plain silliness. However, the best social media comment I saw was, “Everybody stay calm, this was not another tremor. It was just the rand falling!”
But, on a more serious note, it was the second tremor of the day – a 6.5 magnitude earthquake that occurred about 29km beneath the Earth’s surface in Central Botswana, 131km from Moijabana. More than 760 people from far and wide reported feeling the aftershocks, including areas such as Roodepoort, Krugersdorp, Randfontein, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.
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Although South Africans are not accustomed to earthquakes, they do occur from time to time, and can cause a lot of panic.
During an earthquake, you should do the following:
• Most importantly, stay calm.
• Try to stay in the same place and use large and sturdy objects (such as a desk) to crawl under. If you are inside a building, try to stand with your back against the wall, near the centre of the building and try to avoid being near windows and outside doors.
• If you are caught outside, assess your surroundings. Ensure you are clear from power cables or anything overhead that may fall on you. Do not stand near or against a building as debris may fall on you.
• If it is safe to do so, use the stairs to evacuate the building.
If you managed to survive the earthquake, this is what you should do:
• Check yourself – and those around you – for any injuries. If you are qualified to provide first aid, do so. If not, call emergency services.
• If the building you are in has any structural damage – even if you are unsure – evacuate calmly and quickly.
• Try to listen to your local radio stations to get emergency or news updates.
• Do not enter any damaged areas or buildings. Stay away from beaches until declared safe.
• Be very careful of any debris such as broken glass. Do not take off your shoes.
• Try and follow the emergency plan of the area you are in.
• Expect aftershocks.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
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