Britain shaken, but not too stirred, by earthquake

[Caano Geel]

I felt it last night at about 1am .. anyone else?!

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Britain shaken, but not too stirred, by earthquake

 

Property owners were out this morning assessing the damage to their homes and businesses after Britain suffered its biggest earthquake in over two decades.

 

The tremor, measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale and with its focus 3.1 miles (5km) below the Lincolnshire town of Market Rasen, struck at 12.56am.

 

It was felt from southern Scotland to the south coast of England, and from East Anglia to Wales, with tremors lasting for up to a minute that sent walls vibrating, chimneys shaking, furniture moving, paperwork tumbling and ornaments rattling on shelves.

 

The only definite report of injury was of David Nates, a 19-year-old student in Wombwell, Barnsley, who suffered a suspected fractured pelvis when part of the roof masonry fell through the ceiling of his attic bedroom and landed on his legs as he watched TV. His parents were also in the house, but were unhurt.

 

His father said today: “Of all the things that can happen - an earthquake. I could not believe it but when I think about it, it could have been worse.”

 

A spokeswoman for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said that "some sort of fancy stonework" had become dislodged.

 

In Birmingham a 31-year-old pregnant woman suffered a panic attack, but did not need hospital treatment.

 

But emergency services were inundated with calls from puzzled and frightened people woken from sleep by the quake. This morning they were still dealing with minor damage caused by the earth movement.

 

Police in the Midlands received more than 5,000 calls in an hour and in Dudley 12 people walked into the police station in their pyjamas.

 

In many places people were anxious enough to leave their houses. Ken Bridger, Market Rasen, wrote in a comment on Times Online: "I was woken at about 1am with a violent shudder, the house seem to be moving from side to side and the mirror rattling against the wall.

 

"I knew it was an earthquake due to the sheer movement that had taken place. I got dressed and went outside, there were people out of their houses along the main street."

 

Reverend Michael Cartwright, the vicar of Market Rasen, said that a stone cross had fallen from St Thomas’s Church and hit part of the building’s roof, dislodging tiles, before smashing on the ground.

 

“It felt like a bomb had gone off. I woke up screaming and my son was screaming, so we got the children in bed with us. I have never been so scared in my life.”

 

Reverend Michael Cartwright, the vicar of Market Rasen, said that a stone cross had fallen from St Thomas’s Church and hit part of the building’s roof, dislodging tiles, before smashing on the ground.

 

The Rev Cartwright said: “Fortunately for us, it did not actually go through the roof. Obviously, the earthquake has given us some slippage with the tiles as well, but we have been very, very lucky.”

 

The repair bill is expected to exceed £10,000, but the clergyman said he was confident that the grade-II* listed, medieval church was insured against acts of God.

 

A spokesman for Humberside Fire and Rescue Service said that its own headquarters building had been rocked by the quake, but despite their own fear staff had continued to give reassurance and advice to about 200 worried 999 callers.

 

“We’ve still got some active incidents as daylight has come and people have seen the damage," said the spokesman.

 

“People are waking up and going to work and finding bits have been displaced on chimney stacks or garden walls.”

 

Most of the incidents crews responded to overnight involved collapsed chimneys and dangerous roofs.

 

The spokesman said the worst-hit area appeared to be Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, but other areas affected included Cleethorpes, Goole, Bridlington and Hull.

 

In South Yorkshire fire crews attended 13 incidents after reports of collapsed and dangerous chimney stacks. Staff gave advice to another 25 callers, mostly in Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster.

 

In Bedworth, Warwickshire, there was a report of scaffolding falling down in the quake.

 

Police in many counties reported a busy night. In Norfolk, the computer monitors in the force control room shook as staff dealt with more than 100 emergency calls. In Wiltshire, police said the pictures on the walls swung to and fro, as around 15 people called 999.

 

In West Midlands there were 200 or more 999 calls, and Cambridgeshire said that it had over 200 emergency and non-emergency calls. No damage was reported.

 

The tremors were felt as far north as Dumfries and Galloway, where at least one puzzled woman rang to ask the police what was happening. Police in Kent, Suffolk, Lincolnshire, Essex, Hampshire, Dorset and South Wales also reported having to reassure nervous residents.

 

The British Geographical Survey (BGS) said that the centre of the quake was about five miles (8km) east of Market Rasen. At 5.2 on the Richter scale it was the largest tremor to affect Britain since an earthquake measuring 5.4 shook the Lleyn peninsula in North Wales in 1984.

 

The largest earthquake recorded in Britain had a magnitude of 6.1 and struck offshore in the North Sea on June 7, 1931, about 75 miles northeast of Great Yarmouth.

 

The country experiences a magnitude 5 earthquake on average every ten years. A magnitude 4 earthquake occurs on average every two to three years.

 

The BGS said it records around 200 earthquakes in the UK each year, an eighth of which can be felt. It said earthquakes of this size occur in the mainland UK around every 30 years but are more common in offshore areas.

 

Glenn Ford, a senior BGS seismologist, said: “It’s an extremely large earthquake in UK terms but not large in world terms; we’d classify it only as a light earthquake."

 

Homeowners should be covered for the cost of any damage caused by the earthquake, insurers said today.

 

Malcolm Tarling, spokesman for the Association of British Insurers, said: “It is a pretty scary event but will not be a major incident for insurers. Damage appears to be limited at this stage.”

 

Structural damage would be covered by buildings insurance, while contents insurance would cover the cost to broken items in the home, he said.

 

Any damage caused to vehicles by falling tiles and chimney pots would be covered if the owner had fully comprehensive car insurance.

[Ibtisam]

I'm telling you CG you was dreaming!

 

P.s. did you hide under your bed? or pray or calling the shike to find out if the world was ending?

[Caano Geel]

ibti ibti ibti ... since i don't normally need reassurance for this type of think, i'll let your slur there pass -- and no i didnt hide, i faced up to it like a real man and wobbled on my back