HAVE GAS POWER, WERE ABLE TO TURN IT OFF SHORTLY AFTER THIS
EARTHQUAKE ENDED.
EARTHQUAKE ENDED. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. >>> LET’S GO TO BROTHERS DON AND
KJ JOHNSON, THEY HOST A MORNING
SHOW IN LAVENLTH LET’S GO TO
THEM NOW.
THEM NOW. YOU GUYS WERE ON THE RADIO WHEN
THIS EARTHQUAKE HIT.
WHAT HAPPENED?
WHAT HAPPENED? >> Caller: YES, YES, WE WERE, WE
WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF A STORY A
BIT.
BIT. OUT OF NOWHERE, IT KIND OF
SEEMED LIKE YOU KNOW YOU START
AT AN AMUSEMENT PARK RIDE, IT
STARTS TO BUMP, BUMP, BUMP.
INITIALLY THE BUMP ITSELF WERE
SLOW TO GO, SLOW TO START.
WE LOOKED AT EACH OTHER, TWO,
THREE SECONDS LATER, IT WAS
TOTAL PANDEMONIUM.
TOTAL PANDEMONIUM. IT STARTED SHAKING LIKE THE MOST
POSSIBLE RIDE.
POSSIBLE RIDE. THE BUILDING FELT IT WAS ON A
BOWL OF JELLO.
IT WAS CRAZY.
>> MM-HMM.
>> MM-HMM. >> DO YOU HAVE ANY CALLERS
CALLING IN, DESCRIBING WHAT WAS
HAPPENING?
HAPPENING? >> Caller: WELL, WHAT HAPPENED
INITIALLY IS THE MAGNITUDE OF
THE EARTHQUAKE WAS SO GREAT, IT
KNOCKED US OFF THE AIR
IMMEDIATELY.
IMMEDIATELY. ALL THE LIGHTS WENT OUT.
ALL OF THE TELEVISION WENT OUT.
WE IMMEDIATELY CAME BACK ON FROM
OUR BACKUP GENERATOR ONLY TO
DISCOVER PICTURES HAD BEEN
THROWN FROM THE WALLS, COMPUTERS
HAD BEEN TURNED UPSIDEDOWN.
PEOPLE WERE CALLING ME IN, MARK
THEY WERE SAFE OR FIND OUT IF
CERTAIN SCHOOLS.
CERTAIN SCHOOLS. WE HAD MAYBE TWO OR THREE
DIFFERENT SCHOOLS THAT HAD THE
ROOF COLLAPSE.
ROOF COLLAPSE. A COUPLE SCHOOLS CAUGHT AN ON
FIRE.
FIRE. A LOT OF FLOODING DOWNTOWN RIGHT
AFTER THAT.
AFTER THAT. A TSUNAMI WARNING HIT AND
EVACUATIONS STARTED FOR
DOWNTOWN.
DOWNTOWN. BUT NO TRAFFIC SIGNALS, NOTHING
TO KIND OF DIRECT PEOPLE.
SO IT WAS IMMEDIATE GRIDLOCK AND
JUST CRAZINESS.
JUST CRAZINESS. >> AND I DON’T KNOW IF YOU GUYS
REALIZE, ALASKA, AROUND THIS
TIME OF YEAR, THERE IS NOT MUCH
SUNLIGHT.
SUNLIGHT. SO A LOT OF DARKNESS HAS GONE
ON.
ON. A LOT OF CONFUSION.
57D LIKE LITERALLY, IT WAS KIND
OF LIKE A LITTLE BEIRUT, LIKE
YOU COULD LOOK OUT OF THE WINDOW
AND SEE --
>> TRANSFORMERS, EXPLODING.
>> Caller: LIKE FIREWORKS
THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
IT WAS HARROWING.
>>.
>>. >> Caller: IT WAS LIKE A SCENE
OUT OF A MOVIE.
>> GUY, WE’RE LOOKING AT VIDEO
INSIDE A COURTROOM.
THIS WAS SHOT BY OUR LOCAL
AFFILIATE KTVA.
AFFILIATE KTVA. CAN YOU SEE A GIRL A WOMAN DOING
EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO
DO.
DO. I’M SORRY, CBS.
NOT NBC’S.
NOT NBC’S. A WOMAN DOING WHAT YOU ARE
SUPPOSED TO DO DURING AN
EARTHQUAKE.
EARTHQUAKE. SHE IS GETTING UNDER THE DESK
UNTIL THE SHAKING IS OVER.
IT WAS A VIOLENT SHAKING.
IT’S STILL GOING ON.
IT LOOKS LIKE IT’S LASTING, GOD,
AT LEAST 30 SECONDS.
HOW LONG DO YOU THINK IT LASTED?
WHAT DID IT FEEL TO YOU, AT
LEAST?
LEAST? >> Caller: 30, 45 SECONDS.
IT FELT LIKE IT LASTED ABOUT
FIVE MINUTES.
FIVE MINUTES. LIKE LITERALLY, IT WAS THE
LONGEST 45 SECONDS OF SHAKING.
I MEAN, THE SHAKING WAS SO
VIOLENT THAT THE MORTAR,
CONCRETE, SHEET ROCK SEPARATED
LIKE LITERALLY HAVE LINES
THROUGHOUT THE BUILDING WHERE
THE SHEET ROCK AND THE MORTAR
WAS SEPARATED FROM THE SHAKING
BEING SO VIOLENT.
>> WOW CAN.
GOSH.
GOSH. IT’S JUST THE IMAGE RIGHT THERE,
IT’S STILL SHAKING OF THE
BEGINNING OF THIS VIDEO WHERE IT
LOOKED LIKE THE CAMERA JERKED
AROUND IMMEDIATELY.
AROUND IMMEDIATELY. THE FLAGS ALMOST FELL DOWN,
PANELS ON THE CEILING FELL DOWN.
GENTLEMAN, WHERE ARE YOU RIGHT
NOW?
NOW? >> Caller: RIGHT NOW, WE’RE IN A
VEHICLE HELDED OUT HEADED OUT OF
WITH THE TSUNAMI WARNING.
WHERE THE RADIO STATION IS
LOCATED IN COOK INLET LITERALLY
IN DOWNTOWN.
IN DOWNTOWN. WE WERE LITERALLY ON THE EDGE OF
THE TSUNAMI WARNING PERIMETER
WHERE THEY WERE BASICALLY
TELLING EVERYONE TO GET, MOVE NO
HIGHER GROUND SO WE BASICALLY
SACKED EVERYTHING UP, HEADED UP
INTO OUR SUV TO THE MOUNTAINS.
>> Caller: WITH THERE BEING NO
TRAFFIC LIGHTS, YOU CAN IMAGINE
THE GRIDLOCK THAT HAS US IN A
HOLD, LOOKING IN OUR REAR VIEW
MIRROR WITH WATER LOOKING AT US
FROM BEHIND.
FROM BEHIND. SO IT’S A CRAZY MOMENT IN LIFE
FOR SURE.
FOR SURE. >> DON AND KJ JOHNSON, GLAD YOU
ARE SAFE.