The 'terrifying' earthquake footage from inside the Washington Monument

Security cameras on the obelisk's observation deck reveal falling debris and a group of frightened visitors running for safety

A park ranger on guard at the Washington Monument in August clutches her chair and looks skyward as the 5.8-magnitude earthquake shakes the obelisk.
(Image credit: YouTube)

The video: The National Park Service announced this week that the Washington Monument will be closed indefinitely, as the magnitude 5.8 earthquake that rocked much of the Northeast last month did more damage to the iconic obelisk than was originally disclosed. The organization also released two videos taken from security cameras located in the monument's observation deck, revealing debris falling from the violently shaking structure as terrified visitors quickly scrambled for safety. (Watch the videos below.) According to the AP, there's a crack — 4 feet long, 1 inch wide — on the building, and in some areas, you can see sunlight through crevices in the stone. The Park Service has thus far spent more than $200,000 inspecting the damage.

The reaction: Experiencing an earthquake can be scary for anyone, say Theresa Poulson and Kenneth Chamberlain at National Journal. But "probably more so if you are more than 500 feet above the ground inside a stone obelisk." The scene escalates from "laid-back texting park ranger to full-on panic" startlingly fast, says Adrian Chen at Gawker. After watching this "absolutely terrifying" clip, will the "snooty, earthquake-jaded Californians" finally count this as a "real earthquake?" Indeed, says Mark Memmott at NPR, especially in the second video — filmed from above a window in the observation deck — you get a sense of just "how violent the shaking was." See for yourself:

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us