Today, this morning at 5:31am. was the first year anniversary of the ‘big’ earthquake in Okinawa on February 27, 2010.
The 7.0 magnitude quake was centered 85 kilometers (53 miles) east/southeast of the main Okinawa island and was 10 kilometers (6.2 miles deep).
For 15 seconds the earth violently shook under Okinawa waking most people out of bed, including me. Many elderly Okinawans said it was the strongest one they had ever felt here.

Fortunately, there was only minor damage, primarily cracked walls, some broken water and gas lines, a toppled rooftop water tank (it was severely rusted and old). There were no reports of serious injury.

Over the years here in Okinawa I have felt many earthquakes, but this one was definitely more than the usual quick jolt or slow undulating oscillations. It was nonstop major shaking (along with rattle and roll!) for those 15 seconds.

Were you in Okinawa for last year’s ‘big’ earthquake? What was your experience? 

I slept through it. 

I remember....my husband was gone and I ran to the kids room to get them out of their bunkbeds...it wasn't my first quake (lived in CA 9 years) but it was the first one to jar me out of bed like that.. 

WOW, so that earthquake was strong enough to scare even Mr. God? 

I only got out of bed because my dogs whined about it, go outside to see all my neighbors standing around (and one attempting to tip toe in after a late night out lol). I've never been one to run directly outside in an earthquake, so I was surprised to see everyone outside... good times. 

I had got home about 4:30 and was pretty tipsy. I didn't think anything about it at first but it did wake me from my drunken sleep. I just thought it was my husband moving around. Well, he jumped up and yelled earthquake. We went into my sons room but they didn't budge. My oldest son started screaming though...haha.

What completely through me off was the rolling part after the initial shaking. I though I was just feeling the room spin but my husband pointed at the clothes in the closet and said the house was still moving. That was really intense.

I opened the window and heard my neighbors outside so we went out there and chatted. 

so I was surprised to see everyone outside... good times.


hahaha...yeah...it was funny when J came out. "I FELT THAT ONE!" 

OUt of boredom one day, I found an earthquake alert option on my cell phone and I turned it on.
The earthquake woke me up that morning and about half way through, my phone started going off with it's alert. I just remember thinking Really?? You don't say?! 

That thing scared the shit out of me. Woke me up and I had no idea what the hell was going on. Took a few seconds to realize it and settle back down.

Same thing here. I was just running around my house lost. I didn't realize it was an earthquake till it was well over. I think I was half dreaming through it. 

woke us up by the mirror on our new bedroom set rattling against the wall. we just layed there.. waited a few minutes after to make sure it was over... went and checked the kids.. they never even woke up... went back to sleep. 

My husband was deployed and I woke up thinking what the hell is going on...it took me a second to realize what was happening...I then went made sure the baby was fine, she was passed out...then a neighbor called to make sure we were ok and someone from the hubby's shop called to check too...It was scary I thought...I could here things rattling but nothing fell or broke... 

I woke up and grabbed my oldest out of his bed and ran for the dining room table, and my husband came running out holding our youngest by his leg lol and by the time he got out there it was over. I'm quick ;). It scared me, but I did get some sort of sick pleasure out of posting a video of it I found on youtube on my facebook page and reading the things my family back home had to say about it (we are not from earthquake country)... 

I woke up thinking i was on the ship. then i watched the tv almost squish my wife, luckily it stopped before it fell off. 

I liked that after the earthquake AFN put out a commercial telling everyone not to run outside during an earthquake.

I know this may be a dumb question, but why not? I would rather be outside where tons of concrete won't fall on me.

We were woken up from a dead sleep as well. I sleep really hard so I am surprised it even woke me up. By the time we all headed down the stairs, it was over. Went out and chatted with the neighbors a bit. 

I was in the "Stan".... but read about it. Been through a lot of other quakes though in several other locales. Can be very unsettling. 

That was the first one I really felt here. Then we were on tsunami watch most of the day. Scary times. 

I know this may be a dumb question, but why not? I would rather be outside where tons of concrete won't fall on me.

because the building is much less llikely to collapse than is a power pole. the worry is that trees and power lines may come down.

we were taught when i was a kid, never ever EVER go outside until someone sounds the all clear. 

That was the first one I really felt here. Then we were on tsunami watch most of the day. Scary times.

(This is a small portion from a friend’s blog, with some editing)

The February 27, 2010 early Saturday morning earthquake in Okinawa triggered tsunami warnings for a brief time, but they were cancelled within a few hours.

However, if you again remember, later that same day, at 3:34pm JST there was a major earthquake that occurred along the central coast in the South American country of Chile. THAT 8.8 magnitude earthquake is what activated the tsunami alerts for most of Okinawa and Japan as well as over 50 other countries that have coastlines along the Pacific Ocean.
The ‘Chile earthquake’ lasted THREE minutes, causing significant damage in a wide area. The amount and type of earth movement (much of it on and beneath the ocean floor) triggered a tsunami alert for nearly half the earth.
The warnings were issued, the watches began and the estimated time for the arrival of that possible tsunami across the Pacific Ocean was primarily 12 hours away. In Okinawa, it was now Sunday February 28, and for much of the day there were sirens blaring and warnings issued for evacuations along coastal areas of Okinawa.
As madmel said, scary times. 

I remember waking up and grabbing onto my husband. I didn't realize what was happening at the time,luckily he held me and just kept telling me it was going to be ok and awhile later it stopped and we just went back to bed like it was nothing.