Alarms in the Night

2013年2月5日 (火)

Last Saturday evening I enjoyed a late dinner at home, happy to be out of the cold. I cleared the table and poured myself a glass of brandy before sitting down to relax on the sofa with a good book. My room was very quiet – the tv was off and I wasn’t playing any music on the stereo. Because of the snow, I couldn’t even hear the cars on the road outside. I think these quiet winter nights are the best time for reading.

I was feeling really warm and comfortable when suddenly I heard a noise. It was a strange noise that I had never heard before – a loud chirping sound coming from my cell phone. I was surprised and a little annoyed, but when I saw a message like this, I was happy to have an early warning.

In my case, there was enough time to get up and stand in a safe place before the shaking started.

Early warning systems are an important way we can keep people safe from earthquakes. If your cell phone didn’t go off before last week’s earthquake, I recommend checking the settings so you can get an early warning next time.