June 27th, 2022.
An earthquake struck Abra and other parts of North Luzon. The earthquake's magnitude was first estimated by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) to be 7.3.
According to Phivolcs, the earthquake occurred on Wednesday at 8:43 am at a depth of 25 kilometers. Damage and aftershocks were forewarned by the agency.
Source: https://twitter.com/phivolcs_dost/
I thought it was just a normal day.
Another day, another daily routine. The day was completely normal. I woke up for work as per usual. In my head, it will always be a long day.
As I was scanning emails and schedules, I felt a sudden shake. I thought it was just me or somebody was just trying to shake my chair.
The shaking started to grow and the surrounding was shattering and breaking. That's when I realized that it was an earthquake already. Every corner, there was something breaking. A television, vases, glasses, windows, etc.
I ran as fast as I could to get out. My knees were shaking and almost tripped on the stairs, luckily I did not. there were shattered glasses on the way, one mistake, and I will cut myself. I feel like the adrenaline rush in my body had tripled. After I got out of the building, I cried uncontrollably.
I got to contact my dad and then he comforted me. I cried even harder knowing that he was safe. My face and eyes were so red because of crying. My hands were shaking. I cannot breathe properly at that time. I fought the scared child inside of me and tried to get a grip of myself.
We stayed outside for almost an hour because an aftershock might occur. Everyone is trying to contact their loved ones and went home to check their houses.
I and my family got ready to leave our place. We live near the coastline and feared that there will be a tsunami in a minute. The local government announced that people who lived near the coastline must evacuate immediately. We are just two km from the coastline. This is when we got very scared because there was news circulating that the water receded. and cracks were found need the shore.
I only packed what was important. I do not care at this point about work, side hustle, and whatnot. I do not care about anything except of my family and our dogs.
We were evacuated to higher ground. On the way, we saw people getting out of their houses. Everyone was rushing. Stores were closed. We have to hurry at this point.
The evacuation place was full of people. Crying, scared, traumatized, distressed. I tried not to cry because I have to be tough for my little sister. I act as if I am in control of myself. My throat hurt from holding my tears back but I have no choice at this time but to fake being strong.
We still felt aftershocks after the big one. The power was shut down and we just have to rely on our mobile data for updates and news. We have to be patient on what is the next move and be alert always.
I realized that nothing is more important than your family. What happened is so traumatizing, and I cannot explain the feeling unless you felt it first hand yourself.
As of writing this, mentally and emotionally, I was shaken, and still am. I am still that scared child inside. I can still hear the breaking and feel the trembling of the ground. The trauma will not go away easily, and I expect it that way. For now, I have to slowly recover from the trauma.
Sorry if I do not have photos and videos because it was not my priority at that point.
Here are some convos with friends
Edited from Canva
Earthquake Damages
I will see you at the next one!
📸 All photos are owned and taken by me, otherwise credited. ©️jijisaurart