Gary Fisher wasn’t able to pick up the one souvenir he really wanted from his recent trip to the Seattle area: an &uot;I survived the Seattle earthquake&uot; t-shirt.

Wednesday, March 07, 2001

Gary Fisher wasn’t able to pick up the one souvenir he really wanted from his recent trip to the Seattle area: an &uot;I survived the Seattle earthquake&uot; t-shirt.

&uot;I figured I could pick one up at the airport, but I couldn’t find one,&uot; Fisher said. &uot;My son said he would find one and send it as proof of the whole

experience.&uot;

Fisher arrived in Seattle last Tuesday to visit his son, Tony, a navy diver stationed in the area. Tony was set for a long stint on a nuclear sub, and Fisher wanted to spend some time with him before the trip.

The day after Fisher arrived, Wednesday, the Seattle area experienced its first major earthquake in decades, registering 6.8 on the Richter Scale. Only one person died when he had a heart attack during the quake, but it caused billions of dollars in damage.

When the quake began, Fisher was standing in his son’s kitchen in Bremerton, Wash., located across Puget Sound about 30 miles from the epicenter in Tacoma.

He said he’ll never forget the deafening sound and the feeling of helplessness.

&uot;It was very loud, like a train coming right through the house. I was so shocked at what was happening,&uot; Fisher said. &uot;All my son could say was, ‘Dad, we’re having an earthquake!’ Before I could get out of the house, it was over.&uot;

The quake shook the entire house from side to side, hurtling pictures off walls and sending knick-knacks to the floor.

&uot;I’ve never experienced anything like it,&uot; he said. &uot;Nothing was stable, everything was moving. In the end, you just stand there hoping the ceiling doesn’t crash in.&uot;

When it was over, Fisher and his son went outside to inspect the house, looking for damage to the foundation. Fisher, a local carpenter, said he has a new appreciation for the structural strength of well-built homes.

&uot;I can hardly believe the whole thing didn’t collapse from the movement, but structurally, everything was fine,&uot; he said.

Another unforgettable image in Fisher’s mind was the whipping power lines.

&uot;I don’t know how they took the shaking.&uot; he said. &uot;They looked like jump ropes or something. It took them a long time to settle down.&uot;

It didn’t take long after the quake for Fisher to hear from his wife Judy, who was back in Albert Lea. She called within an hour while they were still cleaning up broken glass and other debris.

&uot;She wanted to know if we were okay, and how much of the quake we felt. I told her we felt plenty of it,&uot; Fisher said.

Fisher said he’s lucky he can think of the earthquake as another interesting experience in his life. It the epicenter had been closer to the earth’s surface, many lives could have been lost, including his own.

Instead, Fisher can enjoy the distinction of being one of a few Minnesotans to experience a major earthquake.

&uot;I laugh about it now, but I wouldn’t really want to do it again,&uot; he said.