Nothing prepares you for an earthquake. One moment, things are fine. Then, the next moment, your walls are shaking, your things are toppling and your balance is thrown.
Most people just hit the mannequin challenge and stay still down until it’s done. Unless you’re like my grandmother, who practically floated down the stairs to try to get out of the house.
Suggested Reading
Friday morning, a 4.8 magnitude earthquake shook the northern east coast from Maine all the way down to Baltimore, according to the US Geological Survey. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a news conference there were “no life-threatening” situations following the tremor. However, flights departing from JFK and Newark Liberty International airports were all grounded, per CNN.
“We’re taking this extremely seriously. And here’s why, there is always the possibility of aftershocks,” said Hochul.
You know who’s not taking it seriously? Black Twitter (or X, but nobody says X). Best believe everyone got confirmation and first notice of the earthquake from social media and not New York’s shamefully late alert.
However, whenever something major like this happens, you can always count on Black Twitter to be the most unserious about it and give you a chuckle through the chaos.
“Me explaining to my grandkids how I survived The Bronx and an earthquake,” wrote one user. There was a user years ago who once said the first humans were made in the Bronx… if that’s the case, of course they’d stand an earthquake.
Other users posted hilarious memes depicting how people were shaken during the midst of the tremor.
Are Black folks a little theatrical? Absolutely.
The social media equivalent to stepping outside your house to discuss with your neighbors what the hell just happened is to hop online and ask, “Y’all felt that too?” Because, firstly, we gotta make sure we all just felt the same thing.
“Men all over NYC: ‘Hope you’re doing okay after that little earthquake. It just reminded me of how you used to shake up and rock my world,” one user wrote. Is it really a tweet-worthy event if a Future meme isn’t involved?
And then, of course, an Oprah meme.
Y’all be safe. I don’t think New Yorkers were given proper instructions on how to do this earthquake thing.
Straight From 
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.