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CNN Saturday Morning News

Interview With Plattsburgh, NY Resident George Facteau

Aired April 20, 2002 - 08:33   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, once again we've been telling you all morning about the earthquake that was felt in the New York area. We weren't sure if, indeed, it was an earthquake.

But we have this report now from the United States Geological Survey that says, yes, indeed, a moderate earthquake did occur about 15 miles southwest of Plattsburgh, New York.

It was about 6:50 a.m. Eastern time in New York. A preliminary magnitude of 5.1 was computed for this earthquake. We have received a number of e-mails and phone calls from all of you, and right now, we've got George Facteau from Plattsburgh, New York on the phone. Evidently, he felt those tremors, too. Good morning, sir.

GEORGE FACTEAU, PLATTSBURGH, NEW YORK RESIDENT: Good morning.

PHILLIPS: So tell me, did it wake you up out of bed? Give me a play-by-play here.

FACTEAU: Actually, I work nights, so I was just getting home. I was sitting down, watching TV, turning into, actually, your program as I do every night when I get home, and I live in the area -- in a three-story building.

Usually we get some people on the roof jumping around, and that's what it sounded like, at first. And then I noticed -- I have statues around, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) statues, and some different statues -- that started to fall down. Pictures on the wall started to fall down, and my cat jumped up and ran out of the room.

So I immediately got up and went to my back door, and I guess -- I don't know if it's from watching TV or whatnot -- opened the doorway and stood in the doorway and I could see the street below me from there, and I could just see people coming out of their houses, or coming out on their balconies or whatever, looking around.

PHILLIPS: And no doubt you've all been talking about this. Is this a first for you, within this area? To feel this?

FACTEAU: Actually about eight or nine years ago, I believe, there was one that was a lot smaller than this -- it was barely felt. This -- actually at first, it was kind of scary; wasn't quite sure what was going on. I live pretty close to a few banks, and the federal building, and a few other things, so -- that was my first concern, actually.

PHILLIPS: So, have you all been talking this morning? Is everybody sort of up, out there, assessing all the damage? Does it look like there's a lot of damage, or is it just things that have fallen, you know, off shelves?

FACTEAU: It appears to me that it's just mostly stuff fallen off of shelves -- I listened to a local radio station as soon as it happened. They were reporting that some of the smaller roads just outside of the city had potholes growing in them -- sinkholes.

Also there was a guy on the radio who said that he had a small crack in his driveway that had been there for a while and it's opened up, about another eight feet long and probably about three inches wide, where before it was only like two or three feet long, and maybe an inch wide.

PHILLIPS: Wow. All right, once again, we want to make the point the quake could be felt from Buffalo, New York, to parts of New England and Baltimore, Maryland, and police say that they've received calls about these tremors from New York all the way to Vermont. George Facteau from Plattsburgh, New York. Thank you so much.

FACTEAU: Thank you.

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