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CCNTV6
  • 2 years ago
To get a feel of what the situation is like on the ground, we are touching base with Vicklyn Gilbert who is a Trinbagonian living in Queens New York.
Transcript
00:00 Welcome back. In international news, a magnitude 4.8 earthquake sent shockwaves throughout
00:07 New York City and the surrounding area this morning. It was the third largest recorded
00:12 in the U.S. Northeast in the past 50 years.
00:17 A magnitude 4.8 earthquake has been felt in parts of New York State and surrounding areas.
00:24 Some of those to feel the quake were members of the United Nations Security Council. As
00:28 a tremor interrupted the group's meeting Friday morning.
00:35 As the president of humanitarian group Save the Children was making her speech, the video
00:47 shows the moment the tremor struck. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the epicenter
00:52 of the quake was located near Lebanon, New Jersey, roughly 70 kilometers west of New
00:57 York City. New York's governor says city officials are assessing impacts and potential damage
01:02 and will provide updates when available.
01:09 All of us felt in some way or another the earthquake that hit our city around 10.23
01:24 a.m. We felt the impact of this magnitude 4.7 earthquake. The epicenter was in Lebanon,
01:31 New Jersey, about 50 miles from New York City. And as you know, this is a developing situation.
01:39 We're always concerned about aftershocks after an earthquake.
01:44 New Yorkers should go about their normal day. First responders are working to make sure
01:50 the city is safe. At this point, we do not have any reports of major impacts to our infrastructure
01:56 or injuries. But of course, we're still assessing the situation and we'll continue to update
02:01 the public.
02:03 Well, to get a feeling of the situation, of what a situation like is on the ground, we
02:09 are touching base with Viklin Gilbert, who is a Trinbegonian living in Queens, New York.
02:15 Luckily, there have been no reported fatalities, injuries, no major structural damage.
02:20 Viklin, thank you so much for joining us. Can you give us your personal experience?
02:25 What were you doing and how much of a shock has it been given that such a strong and intense
02:31 event is uncommon in your area?
02:34 Yeah, this is quite uncommon. Actually, I meant to go into the office today in Manhattan
02:43 and I decided to work from home. So around 1030, I was sitting at my desk and I just
02:50 heard everything shake. Everything, my desk, my monitor started shaking and I was just
02:56 in shock. My son, who was asleep at the time, he ran out and he's like, "What is happening?"
03:02 So we just put it together that it was an actual earthquake or trauma, happened for
03:08 about maybe 10, 15 seconds. We just got over the shock and say, "Thank God, everyone is
03:15 okay."
03:18 Now we have been reading that aftershocks were felt as recent as 6 p.m. Are those reports
03:25 accurate?
03:26 They're actually accurate. My sister was sitting in her room and I felt it around 6 p.m. this
03:34 afternoon and I was like, "Are we having another one?" And she said, "I think so." So I strongly
03:40 believe that we did experience the aftershock at around 6 p.m. today.
03:45 And what is the feeling like in your community right now?
03:49 Oh, everyone is in shock because this is not something that typically happens in New York.
03:56 So it's like one, it was quite an experience. I went to the door and I saw everyone run
04:03 out to the house. So most people were outside looking and trying to figure out what was
04:08 happening. So everyone was pretty much in shock. And I guess family and friends were
04:12 calling each other to make sure everyone was okay after the fact.
04:16 But everyone is okay?
04:19 Everyone is okay, safe to say. Now we can go out and actually have a drink and relax.
04:26 Thank goodness, the aftershock is gone. We're just hoping that we don't experience anything
04:31 any time soon with this eclipse coming on Monday.
04:35 Now on that note, we read that Mayor Eric Adams urged New Yorkers to be on alert, but
04:40 that they should go about their day as normal. Has that sense of normalcy returned?
04:47 Oh yeah, I think we're back to normal. Listen, I actually had a meeting at the time that
04:55 this earthquake happened and it was back to normal. We just jumped on us and no one canceled,
05:02 no one rescheduled their meeting. It was business as normal. Typical New York, business as normal.
05:08 We don't stop.
05:10 Now I'm pretty sure that you have experienced earthquakes here at home, but the infrastructure
05:15 on an island, well we know it's very different from a metropolitan area. Now was it different
05:21 for you in terms of that experience? If you can encapsulate that for us, how?
05:27 Well, I'll be honest, this was actually my first earthquake. I've been here for a while.
05:33 I know my son a couple of years was visiting Trinidad and he experienced that massive earthquake
05:38 that you guys experienced. So this was my first and I hope it's my last. It was not
05:45 a very nice feeling at all. It was fear and it gives you the urge to really go out and
05:49 enjoy your life. You never know what can happen.
05:53 Okay, thank you so much, Vicklin, for taking the time to join us.
05:56 Oh, it was my pleasure. You guys have a great day.
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