Personal account of 2020 Utah earthquake, 6 miles from epicenter

Already at my computer I felt the ground beneath me start to shake and heard my German Shepherd start to whine as he tried to get out of the room. There is that moment when you’re not sure what is happening and then your brain processes, “EARTHQUAKE.”

Connie Lewis

March 18, 2020

Things started falling off the shelves around me and so I did what any sane person would do and held onto my monitor so it didn’t fall over.

We are about six miles from the reported epicenter. I’ve never been in an earthquake before and I can truly say I didn’t like it.

I got up when the shaking stopped to assess the rest of the house. Everything fell out of the hall closet, pictures and heirlooms fell off the walls and broke. A shelf above our bed holds mementos and knick-knacks. They started to fall and woke my husband up.

I did a tour of the interior of the house and kept my nose open for gas smells. I checked the pipes for water leaks. Then took a tour of the exterior still smelling for gas and looking for cracks in the foundation.

All in all, we are okay. Rattled but okay. Closer to the epicenter in Magna, my daughter had everything flying off her shelves in every part of her house. She is looking at an all day cleanup.

Tell us about your 2020 Utah earthquake experiences and damages.

Utah Stories

earthquake, Utah earthquake

Connie Lewis

Connie has been with Utah Stories since 2013, and has enjoyed learning everything involved in producing a monthly magazine. In addition to writing, Connie performs administrative tasks, coordinates writers, photographers and editors, and oversees a million little details. Her least favorite word is ‘deadline.’ A journalism class at the University of Utah sparked Connie’s love of writing. Finding it hard to narrow her interests to just one major, journalism allowed her to explore a wide variety of topics and disciplines. When she is not writing, Connie loves spending time with her family and traveling with her dogs. “It has been a pleasure learning new things about the state I was born in and meeting the people who make Utah great,” she says. Connie plans to continue her love of learning and improving as the magazine moves onward and upward.

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