I Survived the Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964 (I Survived #23) by Lauren Tarshis

Author:Lauren Tarshis [Tarshis, Lauren]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 2023-11-02T00:00:00+00:00

All at once, everyone who had been heading toward the docks rushed back toward the street. People screamed. Parents scooped up their children. Cars slammed on their brakes.

Jackson started to stand up to join the rush. His heart was beating a mile a minute. But then he squatted back down.

Earthquakes happen all the time, he reminded himself. There were more earthquakes here in Alaska than anywhere in the lower forty-eight states, even California.

In the bush, the ground would suddenly start shaking. Trees would sway. Rabbits would dart out of their underground tunnels. Once, some jars of moose meat fell from their kitchen shelves and shattered on the floor.

But that was the worst earthquake damage Jackson had seen.

He braced himself against the parked car, expecting the earthquake to stop any moment.

It didn’t.

The roaring got louder. The shaking got harder.

Louder. Harder. Louder. Harder.

The water in the harbor began to churn and froth, like an evil witch’s brew. Waves sloshed across the bridge. Fishing boats in the harbor bounced around like toys. The Chena strained against its thick ropes.

Louder. Harder. Louder. Harder.

The bridge was shaking so violently now that Jackson was bouncing up and down like a ball. His backpack slammed into his head over and over again. He braced himself against the car and glanced around for the other kids. Where had they gone? Hopefully off the bridge and back onto the street — which was where Jackson had to go.

He managed to stumble to the street. But then he fell again. And this time it was impossible to stand back up. The earth seemed to be alive — rising and falling, twisting and rolling. Jackson felt like he was trying to crawl across the back of a furious, thrashing monster.

Louder. Harder. Louder. Harder.

Crash!

The wooden building on the corner collapsed into a heap.

Boom!

A telephone pole fell to the ground, dragging down wires that sparked and hissed like flaming snakes.

Screams rose above the roar.

And then came a sound so loud, Jackson was sure his ears would explode.

WHHHOOOOSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

People had stopped running and crawling and were staring back toward the loading dock.

The Chena seemed to be sinking. And the buildings and docks were crumbling apart and sliding into the harbor. Jackson couldn’t understand what he was looking at. Somehow the land was caving in, pouring into the harbor. But how was that possible?

Jackson sat there on the ground, blinking hard. None of this could be real! But every time he opened his eyes, more of the waterfront was gone. The warehouse. The cannery. The cars and trucks. And it wasn’t just the waterfront right in front of him. Looking up and down the coast, all the land along the water seemed to be melting away.

Louder. Harder. Louder. Harder.

Jackson slammed his eyes shut. He couldn’t watch. He had to get away. And now, through his swirl of panic, all he could think of was Mom and Dad and Uncle Solly.

He started crawling across the street. He’d made it halfway across when …

CRACK!

A massive gash opened in the ground right in front of him.

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