Tsunami witness: I saw the sea start to rise. There was terror and anguish
Tsunami witness: I saw the sea start to rise. There was terror and anguish
Jocelyn Tordecilla Jorquera lives in Los Vilos, near the epicentre of the earthquake which hit Chile. Here she describes the experience of the ground shaking and the sea coming into her town
Jocelyn Tordecilla Jorquera
Thursday 17 September 2015 03.51 EDT
I was at home in Los Vilos with my three children when the house started to shake at 7.55pm.
The earthquake was very strong and it lasted for an unusually long time – around three minutes. It was longer than any earthquake we had felt before, including the 2010 earthquake.
Out of my window I saw the sea start to rise extremely quickly and come crashing in about two metres high into the coastline. It didn’t come in far but the force of the wave was enough to destroy the houses that are at sea level.
We had always been told that tsunami waves take a number of minutes to arrive and in this case it was different - the sea rose immediately.
Since the 2010 earthquake, our family, like all residents of coastal areas in Chile, have had an earthquake plan. We took immediate action and went into the most secure room of our house – the main bedroom, which after the 2010 earthquake we constructed in light material, in wood, as a precaution.
More:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/17/tsunami-eyewitness-i-saw-the-sea-start-to-rise-there-was-terror-and-anguish
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