Did You Feel the Tremor in Nairobi? Here’s What You Need to Know.

The Tremble

Looking at my mum’s face, one could easily tell something was amiss, her eyes were gravitating to every corner of the house. She placed her phone quickly on the table and headed towards the window. “Unaskia?” She asked, looking at my sister, whose facial expression somewhat appeared alarming.

At the time I was in my room oblivious of what was happening and that’s when I heard my mum calling me out. I swiftly walked into the living room, she then said I should stand still, wondering what she was aiming at. I know you all are quite confused just like I was at the time but hang around and let me give you the story.

While standing still, I noticed our sideboard shaking and so was the fridge; my sister prior to this felt the vibration hanging towards the couch but probably felt it was her assumption taking a toll on her and ended up taking it casually. It was then that the vibration became increasingly evident that it drew mum’s attention, leaving a surge of apprehension. Was this an earthquake? My sister whose imagination is usually off the grid at times started throwing assumptions, jokingly she said ‘kwani yesu anakuja’ a question translating to is Christ descending. We giggled for a while and within no time the tremor stopped.

It was then that the vibration became increasingly evident that it drew mum’s attention, leaving a surge of apprehension. Was this an earthquake?

Holding my phone, I couldn’t help but scroll on social media to see if others had similar encounters. With no posts related to tremors, I was left with questions. I then drifted to the common x platform, which thankfully had a couple of posts related to it.

What is Earth Tremor

Earth tremors are commonly caused by the movement of faults within earth, later releasing stored up energy in the form of waves called seismic waves. Often people get to confuse earth tremors and earthquakes. But similar as they may seem, they operate differently in terms of magnitude and intensity. With earth tremors, the intensity is less felt while its magnitude is lower, however for earthquake larger ground motion is experienced while magnitude is quite high. Due to the high magnitude applied on the earth surface, earthquakes end up causing disasters as compared to earth tremors.

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What happened quite recently on Tuesday the 16th

In an interview with KBC, Gladys Karegi Kianji, stated that the Rift Valley is widening at the rate of two millimeters per year, and she attributed the recent tremor having generated from Magadi area; along the eastern side of the rift valley. According to the interview, she said that the widening is causing the molten magma to move through the fissures towards the surface, resulting to the recent tremor. Kianji who is a lecturer in the Department of Geology, at the University of Nairobi believes that there is a need to continually take precautions as the country has in the experienced a 6.9 magnitude earthquake in 1928.

The widening is causing the molten magma to move through the fissures towards the surface, resulting to the recent tremor

She outlined that already the National Construction Authority (NCA) has penned down a Bill which has incorporated the seismic code to take care of the construction sector, ensuring the construction of durable buildings that can withstand seismic activity.

How to navigate around Earth Tremors or Earthquake

According to the Earthquake country alliance, one is advised to follow three main tips to navigate past the ordeal, that includes drop, cover, and hold. Those who are in outdoor spaces are mostly advised to avoid shielding themselves around buildings and power lines, as it’s quite unpredictable if the structure is likely to collapse or not.

1. When inside the house, it’s quite necessary to note that one should avoid unnecessary movements and hold firm till the shaking subsides.
2. For those in a heavily damaged structure, they are more likely to face disaster, that is if they do not evacuate as soon as possible.
3. The next line of duty is turning off any gas and electrical appliances in the house to prevent fires and reduce hazards. Staying away from windows is also advised as the window glass could easily shatter due to the force.
4. Staying near a mobile phone could be quite useful as one easily becomes informed on the steps to take just in case one lands on any emergency information from emergency communication departments.

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In conclusion

With cases of earthquake or any natural disaster, it’s often wise to check up on loved ones to ensure they also are safe. Some of these natural calamities are quite alarming and unpredictable, but with the proper mode of approach one can easily keep safe.