Page 17 - C.A.L.L. #34 - Winter 2011/2012

Here is a report from Kenan from the American community, Twin Oaks. It seems that
they were very close to the epicenter of a big earthquake, and they were very lucky

that no-one was more seriously hurt.

Aug 25, 2011

Almost everyone is OK. The only people to
get hurt at Twin Oaks are Kristen and Arlo.
Kristen has a big black eye and a couple of
really big bruises on her legs. She was with
a group of people in the dining building when
the quake hit and they all ran for the door,
Kristen ran into the door and fell to the

ground. Arlo was making tofu and got some
boiling hot water splashed on his hand and
leg, so he has some big red patches on him.

Mainly we are all counting our blessings. If
it had been at night many people would have
been seriously hurt from things falling off
of shelves and into the bed. Several pieces
of big machinery fell over where people had

just been moments before. The weather was beautiful, so people stood around
outside and many people camped out that night (and last night) due to worries about
aftershocks or another earthquake.

I was just lying down (for a moment!) in my bed when it happened. It was very short
from my perspective. Not a bunch of rumbling and shaking just a big wham and it was
over. Rowan and I stepped out of our rooms into the hallway that was about three
feet deep with stuff having fallen from the shelves. Rowan clambered over the stuff
and we went out into the backyard where some other people were already huddling
together. After a few moments, someone came and told us Kristen had been hit by a
falling tree limb (I guess that sounded better than she ran into a door). We went and
found her. She was kind of a bloody mess at that point, and, predictably, a little
shaken, but proclaiming that she was OK.

The nice thing is that people self-organized after that. Some people went through
every room to make sure no one was hurt. Some water mains broke and so people
turned off water, as well as gas and electricity.

Everyone gathered together and a list of people was posted to make sure everyone
was accounted for. It was decided that no one should go into the buildings until they
were inspected and declared sound. MT, the car repair shop building, got hit worst. It
is a cinderblock building and it didn't fall down, but a lot of the mortar came out from