Everyone I spoke with yesterday felt the tremors but immediately dismissed the notion they had experienced an earthquake. A friend thought the guy with the leaf blower outside her condominium had something to do with the tremors. How? I don’t know. Another person blamed it on his daughter, thinking she was “shaking the car” on their way home from Raleigh.

Are we really this clueless? It’s no wonder the jokes are going viral especially from the West Coast folks. I can’t blame them. And it seems to me we may just get a committee out of this! This powerful earthquake, a first in 67 years according to the Associated Press, will probably prompt the politicians in Washington, D.C., where the tremors were also felt, to create one. While they are at it, they should form a welcoming committee for Irene.

Jokes aside, this is an amazing teachable opportunity for your children. To learn more about the earthquake this past Tuesday and earthquakes in general, encourage your children to visit the website for the United States Geological Survey at http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/kids. And seize this opportunity to explain how the tremors originated from the epicenter near Richmond, and how to be prepared for the next earthquake.