Crime & Safety

Takoma Park Resident's Chimney Topples in Quake

Celeste Ryan evacuated her house when it started to shake.

When the shaking started, Celeste Ryan thought a gas main had blown. She was making stew and immediately went for her two-week-old baby. Ryan called for her husband and ran outside in her nightgown. 

"I thought the whole place was going to blow," Ryan said. "The house just kept shaking and shaking. It seemed like it was going on forever."

But what Ryan felt was a that hit much of the mid-Atlantic. 

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The top floor shook the worst, Ryan said. Her books tumbled and several items, including a breadmaker broke. 

But the real damage was done outside her Carroll Avenue house. The Takoma Park Fire Department, which is stationed across the street, alerted her that her chimney had crumbled.

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Luckily, Ryan, her husband and her newborn were all safe.

Share your earthquake story. Comment below or e-mail us at ryanm@patch.com.


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