5.9

Today has been an interesting and eventful day to say the least.

It started out as any normal Tuesday (I hate Tuesdays, by the way. They are the most awful day of the week). I woke up late, left the house late, and arrived at work later than I like to. My students and I worked diligently through the lessons and made it to our favorite time of the day - lunch, followed directly by recess!

I love afternoon recess. For one, it's generally a beautiful time of the day. Today was no exception. It was gorgeous and sunny out, even though the weather was just a tad on the hot side. I sat at my self-assigned spot on the red bench in front of the playground - prime view of children - and talked to my colleague, Tiffany, as she sat facing the opposite direction. Someone has to supervise the blacktop, you know. While watching students, we were making small talk about how hot it was outside and her son's upcoming birthday.

All of a sudden (and I do mean all of a sudden), we heard this loud rumble and everything started to shake. It was as though someone picked up my world and started shaking it up like a snow globe. And the noise... I don't think I can accurately describe how deafening it was. The rumbling seemed to last forever, even though I know it was probably only tens of seconds.

Now, those of you who know me well, know that I am not good in a crisis situation. I tend to panic, overreact, yada, yada, yada. Today, however, being responsible for 21 third graders made something in me click. As the kids were screaming and getting off the playground as quickly as thier little bodies would let them, I switched into super-teacher mode and lined them up on the blacktop, away from any potential falling objects. At that point, I didn't have any idea what was going on. Growing up in Louisa, I've always been aware of the danger that the North Anna Power Plant presents. I'm not going to lie... my first thought was that the Power Plant had blown up. I have been through two other earthquakes, both in Louisa, and those were absolutely NOTHING compared to this.

Because we were at recess, the third grade team didn't have anything. I didn't have a phone, my emergency bag, a pen... I had no idea what time it was, I couldn't let my husband and family know I was safe, I couldn't find out if they were safe. It was truly a gut-wrenching situation. So, we had the students lined up on the blacktop, and had them sit. Aftershocks kept rolling through, and with each one I, myself, started to panic more and more. But I did my best to not let it show to the students. I comforted the ones who were upset and scared with hugs and stories about other earthquakes I've been in and how during those times all of my family and friends made it out safely, just like I know they did this time. I reminded them that we could actually be LEARNING at that point and we should look at this like an extended recess and enjoy the sun. I tried to keep their minds preoccupied with other fun ideas and thoughts, and I promised them I would not go home until I knew each and every one of them was safe with their families.

We were finally told that the buses would be arriving shortly to take sudents home, and some parents were coming to pick their students up. Students in my class were anxiously watching for any sign of someone they knew to take them home to safety. Parents would come and give us pieces of information of what they'd seen - "The Mineral Post Office collapsed." or "I hope your house is in better shape than mine." We learned that phones weren't working, the town of Louisa was a disaster, and the earthquake could be felt in Canada and the Domincan Republic.

We continued to wait outside for what seemed like an eternity for the buses to get there, and when they finally did, we put students on the buses with just the clothes on their backs. We were literally not able to go back inside to get anything.

After we made sure the students were safely on their way home, the faculty and staff had to wait outside. We were hot. We were thirsty. Like the students, we weren't able to go back inside. That meant we couldn't leave, as our keys and licenses were in our purses inside our classrooms. Our Administration let us know they would tell us when we were able to retrieve our belongings, so we were left to do what we seemed to have perfected this afternoon - wait. Finally, we were asked to make a list of where our stuff could be located in our rooms. Although we were unable to go inside, our Administration would retrieve our belongings so we could go home to our own families.

When I finally got my phone, I was overwhelmed by the number of people who had textes/called/emailed me to see if my students and I were ok. I still couldn't place a phone call, but I could send text messages out so I considered myself lucky. When I made it to my house I was scared of what I would find. My first priority was to make sure Gisele and Atlas were safe. Gisele was outside, and didn't seem to be effected at all. She was normal Gisele. I let myself in my house to get Atlas and began the initial inspection of our stuff. We actually didn't fare as badly as I thought we might have. We had a handful of picture frames down, some broken glass in the bedroom, and our back blinds had fallen. You could definitely tell things were out of place, but nothing had fallen from our cabinets, from shelves, etc. Still, we were without power and I was without my husband, so I scooped Atlas up and gave him a big hug (which he affectionately returned with some loving wimpers), and head off to my parents house.

Once at my parents house, I was able to sit down and watch news coverage of what actually happened. I was super shocked to discover that Mineral had been the epicenter of a 5.8 earthquake that rocked the east coast. I was astonished at pictures of the local Food Lion that made national news. It was just overwhelming.

Not too long ago, we received a phone call from our Superintendent telling us that students will not be returning to school until Tuesday, September 6. Teachers will not be returning until at least this Friday. That call coincided with a 4.2 magnitude aftershock. I think they made a good decision.

So. To sum it all up, here are the lessons I learned today:

1. Always carry your cell phone and purse. You never know when you'll need it.

2. If you're a teacher, always carry your emergency bag.

3. Keep a case of water and Mountain Dew in your car in case you're stranded outside and get thirsty.

4. Throw a bag of sunscreen in your purse. :) This blogger is one fried fox after spending hours in the sun.

5. Be thankful. It could have been worse.