The Earth Shook and the Rains Came
It seems we have finally reached the tropics. Here in Placencia, it is calm yet volatile. The mood is laid-back while the earth literally shifts under you. Beautiful sunny days, cool ocean breezes, flowering plants, exotic birds and a friendly, bottoms-up local population make this place akin to paradise. However, the rainy season is just starting in Placencia, and this year there is a new kid in town. Earthquakes. Starting with a 7.3 magnitude event two weeks ago, Placencia has been shaken every few days with quakes off the Honduras coast. While the latest ones have been relatively mild, the initial 7.3 quake caused quite a bit of damage. Houses fell from their stilts, the ground split open, docks fell into the sea. Luckily no one was hurt. Yet I am reminded of the parable of the two builders I learned in Sunday School many years ago. One man builds his house on sand, rather than solid rock, and loses it in the storm. It also reminds me of sailing in the Puget Sound with my aunt and uncle and seeing the new houses high on the Magnolia cliffs - built right above the fallen ones at the bottom. While I too love a view and a tropical climate, I can't imagine continuing to rebuild in a spot that is prone to disaster. Hurricanes will come to Placencia, just as rockslides will occur on a the edge of a cliff. Now earthquakes are in the mix. Is the lesson to build better, stronger houses? To not build in these places at all? Or to plan on rebuilding and fixing the probable destruction? I suspect the answer is different for every person. Maybe it's the laid-back attitude down here that keeps people rebuilding. Perhaps these quakes and storms remind them to not hold on too tightly to material things. Personally I have slept peacefully through most of tremors, possibly because I don't have much to lose down here. While the tropics are lovely, it takes a certain type of person to invest on this shaky ground. For now, I will just enjoy the view.
Placencia Beach, Belize
Placencia Beach, Belize
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