Home
Covenant Churches Report Order and Calm
SEATTLE, WA (March 1, 2001) - No serious damage has been reported to Covenant churches in the aftermath of Wednesday's earthquake that measured 6.8 in intensity, according to reports gathered by Covenant News Service. Damage estimates to various buildings in the larger Seattle area have already topped the $1 billion mark, however.
"It definitely was a big one," said Jeff Mattson, chairperson of the South Lake Stevens Covenant Church in Everett, Washington. "I've been through three myself, and this was by far the biggest." Another Covenanter, who had just recently moved to Seattle from Chicago, sent a message to friends, recounting the first earthquake she has encountered. "My hands are still shaking," said Mindy Arnold. "It was the strangest thing ever." She said she came back into the house to find "stuff just strewn all over the floor and drawers hanging open."
A sense of order and calm was reported in the quake aftermath by most Covenant churches and institutions, no doubt reflecting the disaster-preparation training many of them had in place.
"We were in the middle of a ladies Bible study with childcare in full swing when the quake started," said Krissy Rosedale at Pine Lake Covenant Church in Sammamish. "All of the groups followed proper procedure until the shaking stopped - then we evacuated the building," she reported. Investigations revealed no gas leaks and activities resumed later in the day. There was no apparent damage to the church structure.
Newport Covenant Church in Bellevue reported a similar reaction to the earthquake. "Our staff and preschool classes responded quickly by getting students and teachers under tables, mitigating any panic that might have happened," said Senior Pastor Howard Burgoyne. "One teacher fainted, but was quickly revived and tended to by our staff." Injecting a bit of humor, the pastor noted that attendance at Wednesday evening's Ash Wednesday service was expected to be strong "now that the Lord has gotten our attention following a lot of very rowdy Mardi Gras activity in Seattle the last few days!"
The North Pacific Conference office reported that both churches in Olympia - Grace and River Ridge - are okay. In other reports:
- Cascade Camp in Yelm (east of Olympia) reported some cracked walls and ruptured fittings on a water tank.
- First Covenant in Seattle reported a chimney fell into a courtyard and certain retaining walls collapsed.
- Emerald City Bible Fellowship in Seattle suffered cracked walls.
Lynn Conver in Kent reported 13,000 customers without electricity and jammed telephone circuits, but described the area as fortunate, considering the magnitude of the event. "Television footage showed cars crushed under debris that has fallen off buildings in downtown Seattle," Conver said.
The Covenant Shores retirement community reported no serious damage and was providing temporary housing for residents in a nearby retirement center. "We came through the earthquake relatively problem-free," reported Priscilla Miller. "There were two very mild aftershocks south of here during the night, but we do not anticipate any problems."
About a dozen Covenant Shores residents reported minor breakage inside various apartments as items fell from shelves during the quake. Miller praised the community's disaster preparedness plan as a key factor in the orderly implementation of emergency procedures. "We are praising God for His protection and care," she said.
Additional information will be posted on the Covenant news site as it becomes available.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
