The Crack of Dawn By: Joanna

My  Family  Tree

Author’s  Note     The  earthquake  had  the  magnitude  of  6.7,  one  of  the  most  destructive  earthquakes  since  1971  (San-­‐Francisco-­‐Oakland  Earthquakes).  It  only  lasted  10-­‐20  seconds.  It  started  at  4:30am  on  January  17,  1994.  Luckily,  my  parents  were  in  a  very  safe  and  stable  three-­‐story  town  house.  They  were  in  Torrance,  California  at  the  time.  The  city  did  not  have  any  major  deaths  or  many  collapsed  buildings.  Cities  like  San  Fernando  Valley  and  Los  Angeles  had  the  most  damage.   My  mom  had  married  Greg  a  few  years  before  the  earthquake,  but  they  experienced  the  catastrophe  one  year  before  their  Xirst  son,  Michael,  was  born.  At  that  time,  they  were  living  in  a  townhouse  in  California,  which  is  where  the  story  takes  place.

The  Crack  of  Dawn

The  soft  glow  of  the  early  spring  morning  gently  

streamed  in  through  my  tiny  window.  It  seemed  like  a  

ray  of  light  shot  right  into  my  face  as  I  slowly  started  

to  wake  up.  I  instantly  closed  my  eyes  and  rested  for  a  

few  seconds.  The  faint  chirping  of  the  robins  barely  

rose  above  the  thundering  rumbles  of  my  husband  

snoring.

“Mm…  Greg,  are  you  awake?”  I  murmured  as  I  let  

my  eyes  adjust  to  the  sudden  brightness.  Cautiously  

half  opening  one  eye,  I  glanced  over  at  the  big  mound  

causing  all  of  the  shaking.  Presuming  that  it  was  Greg,  I  

nudged  him  rather  roughly  with  my  toe.  

“Stop  shaking  the  bed!”  I  hissed,  only  to  be  

rewarded  with  a  loud  snore.  Greg  shifted  his  position.  

Oddly  enough,  the  bed  didn’t  stop  shaking  even  though  

Greg  had  stopped  moving  around.  I  noticed  that  the  

bed  stand  still  shook  violently.  Not  only  that,  but  the  

robins’  soothing  chirps  had  faded  into  a  rattling  of  

windows  and  car  alarms  wailing.  I  let  out  an  

involuntary  gasp,  I  realized  that  an  earthquake  had  hit  

our  apartment  building  and  we  were  still  vulnerable  to  

anything.  What  if  the  ceiling  broke  and  caved  in  on  us?  

What  if  a  power  line  fell  down  and  set  Xire  to  our  

building?  Anything  could  happen  at  this  point.  

While  trying  to  get  up  a  Xierce  crack  shook  the  

whole  house  and  Xlipping  me  onto  my  back.  I  decided  

that  staying  in  bed  would  probably  be  safer  than  

getting  up  at  this  moment.  One  glance  at  Greg  told  me  

that  he  would  be  able  to  sleep  right  through  this  

earthquake  unless  someone  woke  him  up.

“Greg,  wake  up!  There’s  an  earthquake!”  I  

screamed  as  I  Xiercely  shook  his  shoulders.

“What?”  Greg  mumbled  sleepily  as  he  rubbed  his  

drooping  eyes.

“There  is  an  earthquake!”  I  didn’t  shout  this  time,  

but  carefully  articulated  every  word.

“It’s  okay  honey,  you’re  probably  just  imaging  

things.  Go  back  to  sleep,”  Greg  mumbled,  “why  would  

we  ever  have  an  earthquake  in  Torrance,  or  even  

California?”  Did  I  just  hear  him  right?  He  accused  me  of  

lying?

“Then  why  is  the  whole  house  shaking?”  I  retorted.  

It  took  a  few  slow  seconds  to  let  it  sink  in.  The  moment  

it  did,  Greg  sat  bolt  upright  as  if  he  were  electrocuted.  

He  opened  and  closed  his  mouth  but  nothing  came  out.  

“Well,  there’s  nothing  we  can  do  but  pray  until  it’s  

over,”  he  murmured  softly  into  my  left  ear.  I  slipped  

my  cold  hands  into  Greg’s,  comforted  by  the  warmth  of  

his  grip.  We  started  to  pray,  barely  over  a  whisper.  As  

soon  as  I  had  Xinished  my  prayer,  a  wave  of  calmness  

washed  over  me.  I  knew  that  Greg  and  I  would  be  Xine  

and  that  God  would  protect  us  no  matter  what  

happened.

“Wait,  do  you  hear  that,  Greg?”  I  whispered,  my  

voice  cracking,  “No  rumbling,  no  creaking,  no  

shattering,  nothing.  The  earthquake’s  over!”  I  

exclaimed.  “Well…  I’m  exhausted.  I  guess  it’s  a  good  

time  to  go  back  to  sleep,  right  Greg?  Greg?”  I  glanced  

over  to  his  side  of  the  bed  and  only  to  hear  the  

thundering  snores  coming  from  Greg  again.  He  must  

have  been  extremely  exhausted  and  fell  asleep  the  

moment  the  earthquake  subsided.  A  tiny  smile  started  

to  creep  across  my  face  as  my  eyes  started  to  droop,  

silently  thanking  God  for  keeping  us  safe.

Interview  on  Eunice  Weyrich:  Earthquake

When  was  this?• 1994

How  strong?• magnitude  of  6.7

How  long  did  it  last?• 10-­‐20  seconds

When?• Early  in  the  morning,  about  4:30am  in  the  morning• The  house  shook  so  bad  that  she  woke  up

What  was  your  Xirst  reaction?• She  thought  at  Xirst  that  dad  was  shaking  the  bed  in  his  sleep,  then  realized  the  whole  house  was  shaking/swaying  back  and  forth

• Woke  dad  up

• On  the  top  Xloor  of  a  townhouse  (three  Xloors)• They  stayed  there  to  be  safe• Nothing  broke  or  fell

Where  you  scared?• Only  a  little  scared  because  she  was  used  to  feeling  the  earthquakes  when  she  experienced  them  in  Japan

• Had  much  smaller  earthquakes  many  times  a  week  in  Japan

Where  in  California?• Torrance,  California

What  were  you  wearing?• Wore  her  white  nightgown

When  you  woke  up  were  you  still  drowsy?• No,  really  shocked  her  and  she  was  wide  awake,  wondering  about  what  to  do  next

• It  was  the  easiest  time  to  experience  an  earthquake  because  no  one  was  cooking  (because  it  could  have  started  a  Xire  since  she  had  a  gasoline  stove)

• When  earthquake  hits  its  better  to  stay  in  the  houseWhat  was  dad  like  when  you  woke  him  up?

• He  was  half  asleep  until  my  mom  told  him  there  was  an  earthquake

• They  held  each  other’s  hands  and  prayed  until  the  earthquake  stopped

What  was  it  like  outside?• Light  outside,  since  the  sun  had  already  risen  at  5:00am

What  were  you  most  worried  about?• Their  lives’  safety  and  worried  that  the  roof  might  collapse  on  them

What  did  you  hear?• Windows  rattling,  doors  swinging

Research  Notes:

• One  of  the  most  destructive  state  earthquakes• Lasted  about  10-­‐20  seconds• Had  a  6.7  magnitude• Around  4:30AM  on  January  17,  1994• Killed  60-­‐70  people

1.  What  have  you  learned  about  your  family’s  history?  How  has  working  on  this  project  helped  you  understand  your  family  better  and  given  you  a  better  sense  of  your  identity?

I  have  learned  that  my  mom  lived  most  of  her  life  growing  up  with  earthquakes.  Eunice  has  learned  to  adapt  to  her  current  circumstances  where  ever  she  is.  If  she  hadn’t  survived  that  earthquake,  I  wouldn’t  be  here  to  tell  this  story.

2.  Why  do  you  think  doing  a  project  like  this  is  important?

It  has  helped  me  learn  more  about  my  parent’s  background,  like  what  her  life  was  like  before  she  had  me  or  Michael.  It’s  also  important  because  it  has  really  helped  me  learn  how  to  write  in  someone  else’s  prospective.  Lastly,  it  has  helped  me  write  with  more  clarity  and  with  more  expressive  words.

3.  What  part  of  this  project  did  you  enjoy  the  most?  Why?

I  enjoyed  trying  to  write  as  if  I  were  my  mom.  It  was  a  different  way  of  writing  and  a  little  difXicult  to  not  put  what  I  would  think  or  do  into  it.  It  helped  me  learn  more  about  my  mom’s  past  and  how  she  thinks.  I  took  the  challenge  of  writing  the  historical  narrative  and  conquered  it.  I  enjoyed  all  the  parts  in  whole.

4.  What  speciFic  challenges  did  you  face  during  this  project  and  how  did  you  over  come  them?

Trying  not  to  over  exaggerate  events  was  really  difXicult.  I  overcame  it  by  asking  my  mom  more  speciXic  questions  so  I  did  not  have  to  Xill  in  the  gaps  with  exaggerated  events.  My  mom  gave  me  a  sufXicient  amount  of  answers  and  I  was  able  to  keep  my  exaggeration  in  check.

5.  What  advice  would  you  give  future  students  as  they  begin  this  project?

I  would  advise  them  to  ask  as  many  questions  as  possible.  The  more  the  better  because  if  you  don’t  you  will  have  to  guess  a  lot  of  the  emotions  and  thoughts.  Also,  don’t  leave  the  narrative  to  the  last  minute;  it  takes  a  ton  of  work.

Bibliography

Eplett,  Robert  A.  "California  Earthquake  of  1994."  Britannica  Online  Encyclopedia.  Kara  Rogers,  n.d.  Web.  18  Oct.  2012.  <http://school.ebonline.com/all/eb/article-­‐9438678?query=california  earthquake  1994>.