Earthquake In Penang Update

I had just finished posting my latest entry when I felt my wheelchair moving. I thought I was dizzy because I have not been getting enough sleep lately. A short while later, I realised that it was another earthquake when I heard my door rattling. I quickly woke the maid up.

My neighbours were fast. They had already locked their apartment door and were waiting for the elevator. I chose to stay in the apartment. There was no point rushing to get down since everybody else will be waiting for the elevator too. This is in fact a bad move since they could get trapped in the lift should the building tilt.

This temblor is stronger than the one on Boxing Day and lasted longer. It began at approximately 0011 and lasted a good two minutes or more. When the taskbar clock showed 0013, the apartment was still swaying. The water in the tank in my toilet sloshed about and spilled over the edge. I looked down from my window and saw many neighbours lingering in the driveway, barely 5 meters from the buildings that are 22 storeys high.

Related entry:
Earthquake: What To Do

Author: Peter Tan

Peter Gabriel Tan. Penangite residing in the Klang Valley. Blissfully married to Wuan. A LaSallian through and through. Slave to three cats. Wheelchair user since 1984. End-stage renal disease since 2017. Principal Facilitator at Peter Tan Training specialising in Disability Equality Training. Former columnist of Breaking Barriers with The Borneo Post. This blog chronicles my life, thoughts and opinions. Connect with me on Twitter and Facebook.

14 thoughts on “Earthquake In Penang Update”

  1. yes, peter, this one… the shaking i mean… seems ot be worst than the 26 dec. one. that one i only felt the building sway, this one i felt the whole floor shaking (i was seated in front computer) as though i was on a swing!

  2. Xman,
    Thanks for sharing the link.

    Lucia,
    It definitely was stronger than 26/12.

  3. I read your post and I am so sorry that your land is experiencing such devastation.

    God Bless,

    Julie

  4. i can only think of the terror you must have experienced during the quake. may you find comfort in knowing that God is with you and will give you strength to get through this devistation.

  5. there was another quake or aftershock felt in kl felt today tuesday between 2.30-3.00. i felt it in jalan kelang lama and others in damansara. it was less terrifying than last night’s but still, my heart started to pound. the blinds started swaying and that was out i was out of there. did anyone feel it?

  6. Julie,
    Malaysia escaped almost unscathed. How the Nias Island in Indonesia suffered severe damage and lost of life.

    Janet,
    Yup, it was really scary when the building swayed under me which seemed like forever. Thank God there is no damage here.

    Min,
    There will be more aftershocks with progressively less severe tremors. Take care.

  7. No easy way to cope, I’m sure. Our hearts go out to you / your friends. We as a family have given to tsunami recovery relief, and perhaps we’ll be extending again to help. Hope all gets better soon (settled down) — unfortunately, the earth’s crust / plates system is always dynamic, building pressures over time, in areas such as yours.

  8. Marksj,
    Actually we are at the outer outer end where any tremor will cause very minimal damage. But thanks for your concern.

    Joce,
    Thank you.

  9. Here in Bangkok my collegue at the office (we work 24h/day) felt the earthquake very strong. I have been waked up by a friend when she heard my country, Mauritius island was frighten by a potential tsunami. I immediately called my parents, they were sleeping, and told them to call as much friends and alert authorities as fast as possible. Apparently authorities there was already aware, a few minutes ago, of the threat and was evacuating coast line. My cousine said it was too much panic for nothing after all. I guess he was not close enough from the deadly waves when it happened here on boxing day. I’m glad scientist are puzzled that no deadly waves happened on monday. I was so sick to only imagine what could happen to my country. I’m glad you are okay too guys.

  10. Nico,
    It is always better be safe than sorry. I am glad to hear that Mauritius is safe. Thanks.

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