Within minutes, messages went up on Facebook and circulated around Twitter. "Did you feel that?" many asked. "Or was it just my imagination?"
It was, of course, real. Residents in the UAE had felt the local affects of a powerful earthquake that struck Pakistan in the early hours of yesterday morning. Some were genuinely disturbed while others reacted with a sense of detached novelty. Many did not feel a thing.
Earthquakes can lead to catastrophic loss of life and property and are not to be taken lightly. Those in charge of building the country's infrastructure certainly never have. Due to the sandy nature of its topography, the UAE has some of the highest standards included in its building codes. Most structures, even some of the older ones, are built on very solid foundations.
Vigilance is still in order and particularly since so many high-rise towers with glass panels have been built in recent years, which can pose risks during a tremor. While this is not the first time that such shocks have been felt, the country is not located on major fault-lines where earthquakes are most common.
The earthquake in Pakistan may have woken many up yesterday morning, but UAE residents can sleep easy knowing that many efforts and precautions have been taken to ensure their safety.
