LA earthquake, felt from the newsroom
Posted: Tuesday, July 29, 2008 4:49 PM by Victor Limjoco
By Chris Jansing, NBC News correspondent
The U.S. Geological Survey just said that 7 million people felt moderate shaking and I wonder - this is what a MODERATE quake feels like? I was in my office and felt the earth rocking beneath me. I heard the sound of metal against metal - my file cabinets shaking.
In the newsroom, just feet away from my office, people were ducking under their desks for cover. And then it was over - and everyone went into coverage mode - making and answering calls, getting me on the air live for MSNBC and then NBC - with Brian Williams anchoring from London. Modern broadcast technology was not to be thwarted by a 5.4 earthquake.
I've lived in LA for only about four months - one of my first stories here was an April report that in the next 30 years California is 99% likely to have a major quake - one that could cause major damage, injury and death. That certainly crossed my mind in the seconds after it started. I also felt better about deciding to take out earthquake insurance. I'll be reading about my coverage a little more closely now...
