A tremor strong enough to shake buildings sent residents in Bayelsa and Rivers communities into the streets, phones out, voices raised.
In Port Harcourt, the fear took a visible form. An old house partially collapsed in the city, and the incident pushed the Rivers State government to announce a head count of old structures across the state. Officials want to know how many aging buildings are still standing and, more urgently, how many people might be inside them when the next tremor hits.
Details from both states are still coming in, but the mood on the ground is clear: people are shaken, literally and otherwise. For communities that are not accustomed to seismic activity, even a small tremor carries a big psychological toll.
Whether this was an isolated event or a sign of something more regular is the question residents are now asking out loud.
Originally published by BusinessDay.