QUAKE SCENES

The following anecdotes from Olympian readers were compiled from e-mail, phone calls and Web site contributions.

Californians unnerved

McCHORD AFB -- I work for Boeing ... in an office module building within an old brick warehouse. My co-workers and I were meeting with two courier service representatives from California when the earthquake hit. At first we thought it was a sonic boom from a low-flying jet or perhaps an aircraft had crashed, or even Fort Lewis had misfired a live round. ...

I have never experienced an earthquake and I was absolutely terrified. ... The two courier representatives from California -- a state that has had its fair share of earthquakes -- even they were very unnerved by the event.

-- Erin Syversen, Lacey

A shaky field trip

OLYMPIA -- We were on a field trip at the state Capitol. We were in the state reception room when the quake hit. We heard a very loud rumbling, felt severe shaking, plaster dropped, a column moved, windows shook violently and doors swung open. The children remained calm, and we were evacuated outside. Our buses were called, and we were sent home, cutting our trip short. We had to leave our lunches behind as we could not re-enter the building. What a memory! Thankfully, everyone is safe, but still shaking.

-- Jill Snider's class, Brookdale Elementary, Tacoma

A tipped-over cycle

THURSTON COUNTY -- We live in Laurel Oaks, an over-55 gated community on Marvin Road Southeast.

Everything shook pretty good, but so far the only thing that happened is that our Honda Gold Wing motorcycle fell over on its side. My wife and I tipped it back up and there appears to be no damage.

-- Buc Alboucq

Safety under the desk

OLYMPIA -- I was speaking with a coworker in the Highway Licenses building when we felt some tremor. I yelled for us to get under my desk.

The shaking continued with loud noises. My 7-foot-tall bookcase, which was not anchored to the wall, toppled over, breaking apart over the top of my desk.

Had we not been under it, we would have been seriously injured or worse.

I could not easily get out from under the desk as the bookcase was in the way. I had to squeeze through an opening to get out. We took the stairs down to our emergency meeting point on Capitol Boulevard. Scary as heck.

-- Larry Dzieza

The view from a tree

TUMWATER -- Chris Mobbs, 26, of Olympia was 50 feet up a pine tree on Tumwater Hill when the earthquake hit.

"I thought somebody was slapping the tree. Then it started swaying three or four feet to the side," said Mobbs, an employee of Ron's Stump Removal and Tree Service.

Mobbs saw the power lines bouncing and realized he was riding out an earthquake.

"I didn't know whether to try to climb down or ride it out," he said. "I decided to ride it out."

Once the quake subsided, Mobbs breathed a sigh of relief and continued to top the tree, slowly working his way down to the ground.

"It felt good to get both feet back on the ground," he said. "My adrenaline was really flowing."

Roof to the woodpile

I live in a trailer with a separate roof structure built over it, so we use the actual trailer roof for storage. I happened to be on my roof at the time of the quake, going through some boxes ... It felt as though there was a huge dog on the roof with me. I began to realize what was happening. Both roofs were vibrating and gyrating.

I thought the whole thing was going to collapse on me.

I jumped down from my roof, onto my woodpile and onto my porch. I then ran over to my jiggling car, where my infant son was napping. He didn't notice a thing until I unbuckled him and gave him the longest hug ever.

I borrowed our neighbor's hand-crank radio and headed swiftly to my daughter's school to get her. We are all OK; and I'm thinking about taking up surfing soon.

-- Alexis Foster

The Olympian Copyright 2000

back to main Earthquake Stories index