POP:
I was sitting in my bed (1st level ABOVE the ground floor) playing with my laptop. The bed started swaying. I looked up, surprised and realized EVERYTHING was swaying (NOT shaking). I hollered "Earthquake" to my cousin in the bedroom next door, who came over, swaying himself too like on a boat. I was already up, laptop closed under my arm, keys to the balcony steel gate in my hands fumbling trying to unlock it to gain access to the outside (we could fairly safely jump from there). Then we noticed it was not seeming to get worse. Jokingly observed the rocking chair on our neighbor's balcony rocking all alone like there was a ghost sitting in it... the trees swaying too. We decided to exit thru the main door on the ground floor (something that, after observing the damages in Haiti on TV I would NOT do anymore!) and rushed to the open and met a good bunch of somewhat excited neighbors. It was all over.
Got back in, surprised to find electricity and internet still on, and about 3 minutes later the news about PAP started to come in.
We immediately mass e-mailed family and friends abroad to reassure everybody WE were OK.
Cell phones were over flowed until late that evening.
We prepared an emergency suit case and also developed a key location discipline we now still follow... just in case.
We were in La Vega 3 days ago, when in the morning, around 6AM there was a strong after shock felt West of PAP. My cousin felt it... I slept rite thru it.
I think like so many, I have researched the subject and the physics behind it quite a bit since what to do and what NOT to do, should I ever face such a situation or worse on again.
I plan to go to the school where "my" girls are at and do a lesson on it too.
... J-D.