I feel the earth...move...under my feet

Amanda and I awoke last night about 2:30 a.m. to seven seconds of excitement. An earthquake that struck exactly 200 miles north of Tegucigalpa made our little house in Flor del Campo shake and rattle ever so slightly, and caused Amanda and I to stand up and walk around aimlessly for a couple of minutes. We also made a contingency plan that involved putting on pants, leaving the keys in the door, and placing a flash light at the ready in case we needed to make a quick escape.

We didn't sleep much after that, partly out of fear of a stronger earthquake, but also because three Honduran friends called throughout the night to make sure we were ok. We appreciate that they were thinking of us.

The quake was reported as magnitude 7.1. According to most people I've talked to, last night's trembling was the strongest they had ever experienced in Honduras. Apparently a tsunami watch was put into affect and later lifted, and officials are reporting four deaths -- all children -- in various parts of the country. Sections of a major bridge linking San Pedro Sula to the town of El Progreso reportedly fell into the river. Officials are still assessing the damage.

Here is the AP article about the earthquake.