Dec 1, 2018 3 min read

Jesse Martin was picking up his truck from an auto body shop Friday when he felt the floor beneath him began to shake. 

Martin, 24, a Bentworth High School graduate and a U.S. Army infantry officer who is stationed near Anchorage, Alaska, knew immediately it was an earthquake.

“Then, it got really bad and I was bouncing off the ground. I reached for the door and managed to get outside,” said Martin. “I’d say it probably lasted about 20 seconds, but it felt like an hour,” said Martin. “I was kind of panicking, trying to think of what to do. Outside was complete pandemonium.”

The U.S. Geological Survey said a 7.0-magnitude earthquake centered about 5 miles north of Anchorage caused widespread damage and triggered a tsunami warning Friday at about 8:29 a.m. No serious injuries were reported.

The earthquake also knocked out power to thousands, leaving them without heat with temperatures hovering in the 20s.

Martin said the devastation reminded him of a movie scene – collapsed roads, cars stranded on broken sections of concrete, items knocked off shelves at grocery stores, and buildings damaged.

“It’s crazy here right now,” he said.

Martin said one of his concerns immediately following the earthquake was a tsunami.

The National Weather Service issued a tsunami warning for Cook Inlet and Southern Kenai Peninsula after the earthquake struck, but later canceled it.

He and friends are staying at another friend’s house, which sits on higher ground.

Martin said the group is stocked with food and planned to burn cordwood throughout the night to stay warm.

He said he has witnessed other residents sitting in their cars with the heaters on.

Martin also has felt several aftershocks that have rolled through the area, including one that registered a 5.8-magnitude. 

Martin, who moved in October to Eagle River – which is about 7 miles from the epicenter – returned to his apartment to find broken glass and dishes, opened drawers, and the refrigerator on its side.

He called his parents shortly after the earthquake to let them know he was all right.

Martin said residents are communicating through social media, and he and his buddies offered to check on homes and families for people who could not make it home.

“The community has come together, and people are offering to help. They’re walking up and down streets making sure everyone is OK,” said Martin. “It’s crazy. Who would think that in my first months here I’d end up in one of the strongest earthquakes that’s happened in Alaska in, like, 50 years?”