AMMAN, Jordan, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- Jordanian schools held earthquake drills Sunday amid strong rumors of an expected powerful quake that left many families outside their homes overnight.
Dozens of families spent the night in public parks and open spaces after widespread phone calls and cellular text messages warned of an imminent earthquake and urging them to leave their homes for safety.
The rumors began to surface two weeks ago, based on a prophesy by an astrologer that "a devastating earthquake will hit Jordan."
Despite the repeated assurances by government-run scientific institutions that the timing and size of earthquakes cannot be predicted, all the public and private schools Sunday held their first earthquake drills upon the instructions of the Education Ministry and Civil Defense Department.
The head of the Geology Department at the Natural Resources Authority, Darwish Jasser, told United Press International he spent all Saturday night receiving phone calls from citizens asking about the timing of the expected earthquake, describing the panic as "unbelievable."
He insisted that it was impossible to "scientifically or astrologically predict an earthquake," adding that the region was witnessing "more stability than in 2004" when a tremor measuring 5.5 on the Richter Scale struck the kingdom and neighboring countries, but no damage was reported.
