[WestCoastGal]

"The Kamchatka Seismologic Expedition told RIA Novosti on Friday that the most powerful ejection of ash (over 5,000 meters in the air) occurred at 7:24 a.m. local time and was accompanied by an earthquake that lasted five and a half minutes. The Alaskan Volcanological Observatory provided satellite photographs that clearly show an ash trail stretching over 40 kilometers to the northeast."

How many of you have been in an earthquake of 5+ on the Richter Scale? You are the ones that know how it would feel to be in one that lasted 5 1/2 minutes!!! 30 seconds seems almost like an eternity.

[WestCoastGal]

Georgia Man Killed In Rome, Italy Hotel Fire

POSTED: 12:17 p.m. EDT May 1, 2004

Rome, Italy -- A fire broke out at a luxury Roman hotel early today, killing an American from Georgia and two Canadians.

Italian news reports say police are questioning two people who may have started the blaze.


Authorities say the fire broke out before dawn in a room on the third floor of the Parco dei Principe hotel near Rome's Villa

Borghese park.

They say one man -- James Edward Lawery of Georgia -- threw himself from the window of the hotel and died. Two other people -- a Canadian couple -- were found dead in their room.

The blaze spread to other rooms on the floor, forcing the evacuation of the hotel's guests.

The ANSA news agency quoted a third floor guest as saying he had seen two young people -- believed to be Americans -- leaving the room where the blaze originated shortly after the fire alarm rang.

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/3258404/detail.html

[null and void]

KEWL!

[Oorang]

I know what you mean. I've experienced two 5+ earthquakes and yes, 30 seconds seems like an eternity. I cannot imagine 5 minutes.

[all4one]

The 5 1/2 minutes also caught my attention. I've never experienced an earthquake...but I can't imagine how scary that must have been for those who did.

[Domestic Church]

"How many of you have been in an earthquake of 5+ on the Richter Scale? You are the ones that know how it would feel to be in one that lasted 5 1/2 minutes!!!

Sounds like the prelude to Pompeii!

[Myrddin]

How many of you have been in an earthquake of 5+ on the Richter Scale?

Quite a few. I was in Federal Way, WA in 1964. Epicenter was about 1 mile from my house. The shaking lasted about 45 seconds. We had some minor cleaning up to do around the house. A few chimneys in the neighborhood broke free from houses.

The Landers quake in 1992 shook the house in San Diego for almost a minute. I had to put all my library books back on the shelf and put my wife's pile of shoe boxes back up in the closet. The shoe boxes actually flew off the closet shelf and landed on me in the waterbed. A great way to wake up.