There was an earthquake last night!

There was an earthquake near Xi’an city at about 0:10 a.m. last night.

I have been living in Xi’an for about ten years.

This was my third earthquake experience while living in Xi’an.

In 2008, there was a 7.8-level earthquake in WenChuan. At that time, I was just a college student, and our school building was shaking for a while. We were so afraid of the earthquake again, so we all moved to sleep on the sports field.

In 2017, there was a 7.0-level earthquake in JiuZhaiGou. At that time, I had lived with my family in our new house. The lamps shook while we thought there might be an earthquake. We were so afraid of it, and then I picked up my baby with my wife and, hurryingly, went down the stairs.

In 2023, the third earthquake, which was 6.2-level, happened last night. I was reading a book while the lamps were shaking. I thought about five seconds, then I ensured there was an earthquake. I went out of the study room and met my wife face-to-face. We asked each other if there was an earthquake and if we should go down the stairs. After about one minute, the shaking stopped. We figured out that our son might focus on playing video games in the bathroom, so he didn’t realize that there had ever been an earthquake wave. He explained that he didn't play any video games but just got a stomachache. Maybe he had felt an earthquake in the dream, so he had been woken up to keep himself safe.

If there was just a soft earthquake, it’s not necessary to hurry down the stairs. Especially, remember that you shouldn't use the elevators if you want to go down the stairs.

If there was a strong earthquake, you’d better find a safe place in your house, such as a bathroom, because there is a place with water and fresh air, and it's easy to ask for help. It’s also a good choice to keep yourself safe under a strong wooden table.

There are some agencies that are always monitoring the earthquake. And you can use a cellphone app to receive the earthquake warning.

When an earthquake just happens, the earthquake wave will deliver at high speed. After the agency that will monitor the earthquake has computed the speed of the earthquake wave, then we can know when the wave will reach each city one by one. If people can get an earthquake warning message at first, thus they can find a safe place as soon as possible.

I hope everyone stays safe after this earthquake.