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Former North Escambia Residents React As Powerful Earthquake Rattles East Coast
August 24, 2011
An unusually strong magnitude 5.8 earthquake centered in Virginia rattled the East Coast Tuesday afternoon, including Washington and New York.
The earthquake took millions of people by surprise, including several North Escambia natives now living in the area.
Swala Burns, a former Cantonment resident, was at work in her cubicle at the Quantico Marine base in Virginia when the earthquake began to rattle.
“There was this rumbling at first, like some of the helicopters that fly over sometimes. But it got much worse very quickly,” she said. “I got under my desk not knowing what to do and not knowing what it was.” She said many thought it might have been a bomb.
Burns and her coworkers were ordered out of the building. She tried to call her husband, but all circuits were busy.
“It was very nerve-wracking, and it was a little bit scary,” Burns said.
Northview High School graduate Megan Amerson was in a store in Farmville, Virginia, about 50 miles from Richmond, when the earthquake hit and merchandise began to fall off the shelves.
“I had no clue was was going on at first,” the former Molino resident said. “It only lasted about 15 seconds at most.”
The quake was surprising for another Northview grad.
Bratt native Chelsea Sims Golson was having lunch with her husband and a few friends near the Norfolk Naval Station when the earthquake began. She thought her husband, Ethan, was shaking her chair at first until she realized the lights above the table were moving.
Comments
10 Responses to “Former North Escambia Residents React As Powerful Earthquake Rattles East Coast”
i am actually surprised there wasn’t more damage since many of the buildings are not constructed to withstand earthquakes, and the older ones have never been retro-fitted for that. As far as I know there are no earthquake building codes in this area. It is actually one large tectonic plate on bedrock (mostly) as opposed to many smaller plates on a fault line, which causes less damage.
I was assigned to Andrews AFB for five years. The only shaking I remember was from the potholes of D.C..
So that’s what it feels like when a 14.6 trillion dollar check bounces.
I think it is funny. I’m at home 64 miles from the epicenter and didn’t feel a thing as I was mowing the lawn. No damage I thought until my wife, who’s visiting family in Atmore and Cantonment, called to check on me. We then discovered that the landline was out.
That is God shaking the earth not the founding fathers!
MY REDNECK HUSBAND DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO THINK WHEN THE GROUND MOVED UNDERNEATH HIM IN VA. HE THOUGHT A TRUCK HAD HIT THE BUILDING HE WAS WORKING IN. I AM GLAD TO HEAR THAT ALL OF THE MEN FROM PARKER AND SON ARE SAFE. COME HOME SOON.
No need to be alarmed folks. It was just our founding fathers rolling over in their graves…………
I am originally from Flomaton and am up here on a business trip. I was sitting at a Sonic in Philadelphia, PA waiting on lunch. It felt like someone was bouncing my car. From the time I realized something was happening , it was about 30 – 45 seconds. Very interesting feeling.
One of the abandoned buildings our crews are working in had a partial collapes of the roof which was pretty scary but no one was injured.
I grew up in Walnut Hill and now live in Herndon, VA just a few miles outside Washington, DC. I was on the ninth floor of my office building when the shaking began. At first it felt like someone was dragging a piece of heavy furniture across the floor and then it felt like the floor had turned into a trampoline. Thankfully I was sitting at the time. It would have been impossible to keep my balance if not! I think the shaking lasted about 30-45 seconds but seemed much longer while it was happening. I live nearby and in my house some of my wall decorations had shifted and one large painting had fallen, but otherwise no damage.
I am a former Cantonment resident also…now living in Round Hill, VA (99 miles N of Mineral, VA. My dog had been acting different for a little while. I was sitting in my bed working on a book…the shaking started like a washing machine that is off balance. but I’m on the other side of the house from the washer…HERE (and the overall concensus is ) it lasted about 45 seconds. My husbands office is much closer to Mineral and they sustained significant damage to a multi-story building in Tyson’s Corner, VA. We are very thankful that everyone is ok!!!