The Nisqually earthquake that shook Washington – KIRO 7 News Seattle

February 28 marks 25 years since the Nisqually earthquake shook Western Washington.

At 10:54 a.m., the 6.8-magnitude quake shook the ground so hard that buildings collapsed and the ground split open.

It only took about 45 seconds, but it seemed like an eternity to everyone who rushed for cover.

The quake’s epicenter was 32 miles below Anderson Island, which helped mitigate some of its strength, but it could still be felt as far away as Vancouver, Montana and Portland.

It caused damage amounting to $4 billion, and about 400 people were injured. One person died of a heart attack.

A former KIRO 7 reporter and photojournalist was in the mayor’s conference room on the 12th floor of Old Seattle City Hall when their story for the day changed on the spot.

Their rapid action brought some of the first live images of the earthquake to viewers in Seattle and, eventually, around the world.

Just a mile north, parts of the ceiling at the Westin Hotel came crashing down on dozens of people gathered in a ballroom for a technology conference. I interrupted Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, while he was demonstrating the new Windows XP software.

In Pioneer Square, buildings collapsed and bricks and debris were scattered on parked cars.

Parts of the famous Starbucks Center in Sodo crashed to the ground.

The South Sound bore the brunt of the damage.

In Olympia, the state Capitol cracked, chandeliers swaying as the ground shook.

Across the street from the Capitol, the chief justice of the state’s highest court was meeting with Mongolian dignitaries. He quickly led them to the entrance for safety.

Just five miles east in Lacey, food flew off the shelves at a Megafoods grocery store as workers quietly and quickly ushered customers out of the building.

In Maple Valley, neighbors dealt with a very different disaster caused by the earthquake.

Seconds after the earthquake, a landslide occurred toward the community. It destroyed homes and trapped some neighbors inside.

Debris from this landslide filled the Cedar River channel, causing flooding upstream.

Airports and bridges across Washington were forced to close for inspection and repairs.

Since the earthquake, seismic retrofit work has been done on Washington’s bridges. Major buildings, schools and hospitals have also made upgrades to better protect infrastructure.

In May of 2021, Washington Emergency Management launched an alert system to warn people on their phones, similar to a weather alert or Amber Alert.

The ShakeAlert earthquake early warning system for mobile phones is available in Washington and may provide vital seconds of warning needed to alert people that an earthquake is about to strike.

The system uses a network of sensors that detect the onset of an earthquake and calculate the size, location and amount of aftershocks expected from earthquakes on the West Coast.

It sends real-time information to distributors who send alerts to cell phones and the Internet.

Washington state has the second highest earthquake risk in the United States. It also has one of the highest tsunami risks.

The system is designed to give residents time to take shelter in the event of an earthquake, but it cannot predict when an earthquake will strike.

State officials say it’s important for people to enable emergency alerts on their phones so they can receive alerts.

Details on how to do this can be found here.

©2026 Cox Media Group

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