Puerto Rico Earthquake

Oh my God… talking to family at my sister’s condo in Laguna Gardens, right across the street from the Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport. So there we were about to celebrate our Noche Buena, Christmas Eve, celebration…everybody thinking about having a wonderful dinner of pasteles, ham, arroz con gandules, when all of a sudden it seemed like someone had grabbed the rattan chair and was shaking it back and forth. I held on to it, but realized as everyone recognized what was going on that it was an earthquake.

My niece’s little boy was sleeping in a room nearby. We niece grabbed her little boy and we decided to step outside and wait outside for a while until we had some idea that we weren’t going to have an immediate aftershock. While we waited we conversed about what everyone had noticed. Some noticed the horrible rumbling that preceded the earthquake. My niece and her husband noticed that swaying and creaking of the door, as they were just coming into the building. Fortunately, it was only a warning, but it no real damages.

Immediately called my daughter in Salinas, but her voice message came on, so I called my other daughter in Rochester, NY. It was the smartest thing I did that night because, about 10 minutes later all the phone lines were jammed. If I had wanted to call a few minutes l