Monday, January 13, 2014

Earthquake Wakeup Call

I had heard there were earthquakes in Puerto Rico, but never felt a big one until last night.

Tina told a friend, "At first I thought Sarah was kicking the couch. Then Steve ran in and we all went running for doorways when the house really started shaking. The Christmas tree was really swaying"

We checked online and read that it was a 6.5 magnitude quake. Even though it was 50 some miles NW of us, it was scary enough. To me, it did not so much feel like a shaking or a rattling temblor, but more like the ground underneath me was sliding from side to side and moving up and down, as if a shallow wave passed underneath.

They tell me there was a big one in 1918 that destroyed much of a large town on the west coast and killed 114 people, 40 of them from a 20 foot tsunami wave. Such stories seem so far a way they have little impact. But it was only 4 years ago that the big quake levelled Haiti, one of our neighbouring islands here in the Caribbean.

So...

Another reason to pray for your missionaries has been found! Please do so. There is no feeling so helpless as when you find yourself in an earthquake. They come without warning and you can't tell how bad it will be or when it will end.  Your prayer make a difference and knowing that you pray for us is a great comfort and encouragement.

PS. I have a Ham radio license (WP4NVR) and am trying to acquire some equipment that will give us emergency communication capabilities. We have a generator and an old (a 1989 Kenwood TS-680S) Ham radio, but no hand held radios for local communications. I would like to get a 2 meter hand held or a dual bander for local emergency work. I am looking at some low end radios: The Alinco DJ V57T and the Wouxun KG-UV3D. If you could help us acquire some emergency equipment like this, I would appreciate it.

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