SeattleInsider: Seattle earthquakes remembered: Photos from 1949, 1965 & 2001

Fifty-five years ago today, on April 29, 1965, a 6.5 magnitude earthquake rattled western Washington.

Seven people died as a result of this quake, the fourth strongest in the region since 1850.

The earthquake hit around 8:30 a.m. and lasted for 45 seconds.

Click here to see photos from the 1965 earthquake.

According to HistoryLink.org, the quake’s epicenter was located near Des Moines and was felt over a 190,000 square-mile area that included Washington state, northwest Oregon, Idaho and into British Columbia.

“Cracks fractured the earth, cement blocks fell from buildings, ceilings and walls collapsed,” reported KIRO 7’s Brian Wood.

Twenty years after the quake hit, Wood revisited that day in history and told viewers how they could prepare in the event that another earthquake were to hit the Puget Sound region.

Click here to see that archive video from 1985.

The other sizable quakes in Seattle’s history date back to 1872 when an estimated 7.3 magnitude earthquake hit the region, according to HistoryLink.org.

In 1949 there was a 7.1 earthquake.

And just as recently as 2001, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake shook our city.

KIRO