It wasn't how I imagined an earthquake would happen.  I imagined I would feel the ground trembling.  Instead, I was with my parents in the car, driving them to the airport for a long-overdue European vacation, we were at a stoplight and all that any of us could think was that the car was having a major malfunction.  Had I accidentally shoved the car into the wrong gear when we were driving?  Was the suspension giving out?  It was only when I jumped out of the car, and saw others doing the same, then spotted the light poles swaying about 30 degrees from side-to-side that I realized it was a quake. 

On this day, February 28th, ten years ago, the Nisqually earthqake hit Seattle.  It was the strongest quake to strike the region in modern history, measuring 6.8 in magnitude.  At the time, I was working as a freelance reporter for the Fox affiliate, KCPQ.  It was my day off, but I knew right away we were heading into non-stop news coverage, and that I wouldn't be getting a break anytime soon.

As the talk began between the people in the cars stopped at the onramp to I-405 in the suburb of Bellevue, all now out of their jiggling cars, we all agreed it was indeed an earthquake.  But none of us knew how bad it was.  The freeway seemed stable, so we decided to go on our way to the airport, since my parents still needed to get there, we thought.  I figured it was as good a place as any to start assessing the damage, as my reporting instincts kicked in.  

On the way, we listened to the radio stations to try to get a sense of what had happened.  The radio DJ's were doing the same, but no one had any answers right away.  I tried my cell phone to call the station and my boss, but cell service was completely jammed. 

As we drove to the airport drop-off area, people were standing outside, but nobody was saying that flights were cancelled yet.  It would turn out that the airport tower's glass windows had been shattered by the force of the quake.  I dropped off my parents, and made my way to the nearest pay phone to call into the station.  The assignment editor told me the worst damage seemed to be in the downtown area, near Pioneers Square.  But she was very interested in hearing how the airport was in temporary evacuation-mode, so we decided I should go back and meet up with a photographer later. 

By this time, people were being allowed back into the airport, but flights in had been re-routed to Portland, while outbound flights were on hold.  The tower was a mess, and there were water leaks all over the airport's concourse, caused by pipes bending and breaking.  As for my parents, I couldn't track them down then.  As it would turn out, their Europe-bound 777 was one of only 2 flights that would end up leaving SeaTac that day. 

I headed back to the station where we were embroiled in non-stop coverage. This quake would turn out to have damaged more than 600 buildings in the greater Puget Sound area.  One person was killed, and several hundred suffered injuries, mostly from falling debris.  The Alaskan Way Viaduct, an elevated freeway along the waterfront, had major structural damage, and power outages were widespread.  While several of my colleagues were bringing us live reports from downtown, I was tapped to give coverage in-studio. I shared with the viewers what I had seen and learned from the airport.  

My producers then sent me to an area just south of the Kingdome, set to be imploded a month later.  I met up with a photographer who had shot a tremendous amount of stunning video of the quake's aftermath and damage.  We were there all evening, past midnight, bringing live reports and new details of damage.  It was non-stop writing, editing, shooting, interviewing, and live reporting for me and the crew I was fortunate to be with.  I was glad when the desk finally told us around 1 or 2 a.m. to go home and rest up for a busy shift, starting in about 6 hours.   

Fortunately, as we were to learn, even though the magnitude was great, the seismic shifting that happened could have been much more violent in its motion.  That would have resulted in even worse damage, and likely, many more deaths.  It took many months, in some cases, years, for the buildings to be repaired.  The Viaduct is still considered unstable, and city leaders have grappled with how to deal with it.  For this reporter, having been shaken up by the Great Seattle Quake, but getting to share with viewers the latest about it, and hopefully bring them some reassurance, is why I became a journalist.