‘I felt it’ Granite Staters share their earthquake stories

A 3.8 magnitude earthquake shook York, Maine, at 10:22 a.m. Monday, leaving residents across the region describing their unique experiences as the tremors rattled homes and offices. While the quake was relatively small and there were no reports of damage, its sudden impact prompted a flurry of reactions from those who felt it.

Elizabeth Jaczuk from North Hampton said, “For me, it’s not so much what I felt as what I heard. An enormous BOOM followed by low rumbles.”

In Center Harbor, Nancy D’Antonio was startled by the shaking of her chair. “I was sitting in my chair watching the news. The chair shook like my husband was shaking it, but he wasn’t in the room! No noise, just shaking. Over quickly,” she said.

Patty Shearin, from Dunbarton, reported feeling the quake’s east-to-west motion, saying, “I heard a loud boom just before as well. I thought it was a logging truck going by.” Her dog, she said, was unsettled, while her senior dog slept through the whole event.

Others had similarly surprising moments. Jim ODonnell was working at the Hampton Courthouse when the quake struck. “It was very obvious it was an earthquake, things on my desk shook and everything came to a hault,” he said. “The judge paused the hearing to compose everyone and had a slight concern it was going to continue. Definitely was a surprise!”

For Sue Lyndes, a more subtle sign pointed to the quake. “Yesterday morning, the trash can in the bathroom moved on its own. It was one of those puzzling moments when you can’t understand why,” she said. Upon hearing about the earthquake later, she was relieved to understand the cause. “I’m so glad I don’t have to go through life with the niggling worry that something mysterious is moving objects in my home!”

Finally, Susan Needleman who lives near Lake Winnipesaukee initially thought the noise was caused by an airplane flying overhead. “At first I thought it was an airplane going over our home… But then the noise continued, and I thought maybe it was an earthquake. Still, I was surprised when I heard the news on the radio an hour later,” she said.