Earthquake Victims Recall, Remember as Life Slowly Returns to Normal

(Washington, DC) — Just days ago, the world marked the one-year anniversary of the devastating Haiti earthquake. That 7.0 magnitude temblor, on January 12, 2010, was the worst in the region in 200 years. It devastated Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, left over 200,000 dead, over one million homeless, and collapsed its government. One year later, only minimal progress has been made to establishing a sense of normalcy.

Lost in the earthquake conversation is the devastating earthquake in the Washington, DC area, which struck six months ago, on July 16, 2010. Centered in Montgomery County, MD, the 3.6 magnitude quake, which was the most powerful the Washington, DC area since 1974, brought unspeakable horror and devastation to the nation's capital when it unleashed its fury at 5:04am. Given the massive destruction, the first photos are only now being shared, and FLATLINE is proud to bring the first photo of the disaster to its loyal readers.

"It was just a horror, do you hear me, a horror!" said a Maryland resident, speaking on condition of anonymity. "I was asleep, and all of a sudden, in the middle of the night, I heard this low rumbling. It lasted, like, five seconds, maybe six. Then I fell back asleep. I was so tired the next day. I mean, interrupting my sleep was, like, so inconvenient! Oh, the humanity!"