Survivors Recount 1964 Seward Earthquake and Tsunami

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Take a moment and imagine what you would do if a 9.2 magnitude earthquake struck – triggering a massive tsunami – just a few feet from the coast.

This story tells the story of two teenagers living in Seward as they experience the Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964 and its repercussions in different parts of the city.

March 27, 1964 – 5:36 PM

“It got louder, the shaking was very, very violent,” Linda McSwain (née McRae) said of her memories of the world’s second-largest earthquake ever, which struck south-central Alaska on Good Friday.

The 15-year-old was at home in Seward with her family when the earthquake struck.

Phil Richardson, also 15, was just a few blocks away.

“When the earthquake happened, we just said, ‘Well, it's just another earthquake,’” Phil recalls.

But the violent tremors intensified when the powerful earthquake struck the area.

“You could see the ripples of the ground as the waves went by,” Phil recounted. “You couldn’t stand up.”

He said he ran outside trying to find a safe place.

“We were holding onto a fence, and it was almost nauseating,” he said.

But the earthquake gave us no relief.

“We've seen avalanches on Mount Marathon,” Phil said.

On the road, Linda and seven others — including her 26-day-old nephew — rushed to check on their loved ones near the water as soon as the ground settled.

“The families stick together,” Linda said. “No one questioned the validity of this action.”

When they arrived at the head of the bay, their extended family wasn't home. That was a good thing, Linda said.

Across town, Phil realized that although the shaking had stopped, the earthquake's effects had only just begun.

“It was more of a fire explosion than a bang,” Phil said of the tank farm a half-mile away that caught fire.

“It was scary because you thought the whole city was going to burn down,” he said.

He said he saw a cloud of black smoke rising from the fire.

From Linda's point of view, she said it looked like the whole city was going to burn down.

Her father, a firefighter, and her brother went to help fight the fires.

But they stopped in their tracks, realized the fire wasn't their most pressing concern, and returned with a dire warning to their families.

“I remembered my father screaming in a voice I had never heard before, saying there was a tidal wave.”

With no protection from the impending wave, the roof of their loved ones' garage seemed their best route to safety.

“We heard a really loud noise, but we didn’t see the wave yet. We heard it roaring like a big freight train,” she said.

They were not yet far enough from the approaching water.

“We all knew that where we were standing there was nothing that would save our lives,” she said.

The tallest house was only six feet away.

“I just put the baby in my jacket and jumped in with him,” Linda said of her young nephew.

Her father was the last one left clinging to the ceiling, as they did everything they could to survive.

“The moment it hit the roof of that house, that wave was coming right at us, coming down on us fast,” she said.

The powerful wave destroyed the division.

“Everything around us has become flat, completely flat,” Linda said.

“We just came out like a cork from the ground level into the tops of the big trees in Seward,” Linda said. “We just broke away from the foundation and started spinning. I always thought of it as ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ spinning out of control.”

Phil's family was close by, and they were also in trouble.

“Our car broke down and we couldn't start it,” he said.

They waited for a miracle to happen, as the tsunami headed towards them.

“When I was a kid, I would pray and say, ‘Lord, please Lord start this car,’” Phil said.

Their vital desire has been fulfilled.

“The car miraculously started moving, and we got out of there,” Phil said.

Now, far from where they had climbed into the house, Linda's roof rested in a cluster of trees.

“We didn’t know what we were floating on. We knew we were on a surface, but we didn’t know if we had walls or not. But we were alive.”

They stayed put as the tsunami continued throughout the night.

“There were a lot of prayers,” she said. “Seward was burning, and no one knew where we were.”

Once the roof settled into mud and debris washed ashore, Linda's brother left his family to search for help.

“None of us wanted him to go, but we knew this was our only chance,” she said.

Phil said people were surprised to see him when he arrived at Bayview School, where Phil's family had taken refuge.

“People saw us take that turn onto Airport Road, so Scotty McRae's family was listed as dead,” Linda said.

But as it turns out, Linda said her life might not have been in danger if she had stayed where she was after the earthquake.

She said the tsunami did not reach her house, and that the quake caused minor damage.

“Could any member of my family change what we did? No,” Linda said.

All of Linda's loved ones who were trapped on the roof eventually made it to Bayview School. The 26-day-old was taken to hospital for one night.

Phil made the trip home from Bayview School in the morning.

“For the next few days… we were not destitute, we had food and everything else there,” Phil said. “But we couldn’t heat anything.”

All rights reserved to KTUU 2024.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos