A massive eathquake rocked Apia in the early morning hours yesterday. I was working on the computers in the Peace Corps office at about 7:30 in the morning when the place started vibrating like mad. The shaking didn't stop for about 20 seconds or so. I haven't heard if there was any major damage in the city, but I really hope not.

There was another volunteer who's from Arkansas in the office with me. He'd never been in a quake before. He wasn't freaking out or anything, but he's not exactly the most calm person to begin with, so it was funny to watch his reaction. He probably the same way I'd feel If I ever came across a tornado.

Myself, I've been in dozens of quakes having grown up and lived most of my life in California. The biggest was the Loma Prieta Quake in 1989 that shut down the World Series. I was on the beach in Santa Cruz, about 90 miles south of San Francisco at the time. I was thrown off my feet by the force of the quake.

Here is a link the US Geologic Survey's page about the quake which was centered near Tonga:

USGS Earthquake Hazards Program: Earthquake Report: TONGA