Fear has returned to Kathmandu!

Reading blog post: Is that an earthquake or …

I was emailing a friend about the earthquake. I can’t explain the sheer coincidence, I was re-reading my blog post: “Is that an earthquake, or…”.

Then it happened….

It sounded like a train at first…

Then it felt like a train… it was bumpy. it was loud.

I was sitting on a chair with my laptop…

Everything started shaking. Everything started grinding.

The spoons and tables were clacking and clinking.
There was no time for conscious thought or decision..
The crocodile brain knew what to do.

It was time for fight or flight…

RUN.

I tried to say “EARTHQUAKE” but let out some sort of yelp to tell the others. They obviously knew as well… They were experiencing it too.

I get to the front door and unhook the latch.
Next up, turn the key to unlock the door.
Turn knob and phew… Door opened.

People were pouring down from the upper floors of the house.

We all stumbled out of the house.

But far from safe…

Breathe in. Breathe out.

People were standing around, or running toward the main street.

The safest place around here is the main street, but that’s about 25 meteres away from our front gate.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

SITUATION AWARENESS.

We were standing inside out main gate. I grabbed mom. People were saying things, but “fight or flight” mode, bypassed all my neocortex functions. I couldn’t make out what the words were.

I held on to mom, as she held on to my arm. I looked around the neighborhood.

My eyes scanning the 5 buildings overhead. Each of them capable of raining down bricks and concrete on our heads.

The ground still shaking and rocking everything.

I glanced at each one of them, looking for cracks or any debris falling off… but fortunately nothing stood out. The buildings didn’t look in imminent danger of falling over.

But, honestly, there wasn’t much I could have done if they did topple over in any direction.

Fortunately, no falling debris….

People still speaking in tongues(sp?). I couldn’t make out any words but the tone was fear.

All I saw was the skies dotted with birds (crows). It looks quite ominous.

The earthquake quiets down…

Fear had returned to Kathmandu.

We start cautiously walking out into the street. “I didn’t grab anything — my phone, my passport”, says mom.

Don’t worry. We will get it later.

There was a big crowd on the road outside. Everything had come to a standstill. There were people standing outside with fear in their eyes.

Still couldn’t decipher any words from people.

… to be continued.