Today at approximately 2:41 in the afternoon, an earthquake struck the Bay Area sending seismic waves in all directions including Sacred Heart Cathedral. The U.S. Geological Survey announced that the earthquake had a preliminary reading of a 4.0 magnitude with its epicenter located in southeast Berkeley in the East Bay. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to die!’” recalled one student as she huddled into a group of her friends, one of the many groups formed in the plaza after the initial shaking. “It was really scary,” commented Mairead Ahlbach ’15. “At first I thought it was just someone playing loud music with their speakers, but then I realized it was an earthquake.” Thoughts along those lines remained constant among the student body as people reported thinking it was a truck or even a plane passing by. Teachers quickly met with each other to discuss any problems that might have resulted from the tremor.
The irony surrounds the earthquake in several ways. First, the quake occurred on the day of the 2011 Great California Shake Out, a day in which Californians took part in an earthquake awareness drill. Second, it happened only three days after the 22 anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989. Third, today happens to be the eve of the new Rapture date predicted by Harold Camping, the same man who falsely predicted the world’s doomsday on May 21st of this year. Does this small earthquake perhaps have some actual significance to it? Only time will tell as the Bay Area community settles back down to take on the challenges of tomorrow.
