It was exactly 10 years ago today when the Nisqually Earthquake struck much of Western Washington and shut down the 2001 legislative session for a couple of days. The big shake occurred at 10:54 a.m. and caused $2 billion in damage. Check out this story in yesterday’s Olympian about the 6.8-magnitude quake and its aftermath.

For those of us who were in the Legislative Building on Olympia’s Capitol Campus, the tremor was a wild, scary ride. But it could have been far worse. When the Lege Building was evacuated, many who were in the building saw the crack on one of the pillars that hold up the sandstone dome weighing more than 11 million lbs. Needless to say, everyone was extremely relieved that the pillars did not collapse and cause the dome to crash down below.

Where were you when the Nisqually Earthquake happened? Let us know! We want to hear your story.

Photo courtesy of Patrick McDonald