of this stairwell, i really think there s going to be something to knock the whole monument over. once she s opened the emergency door one flight down, nicolette knows she can t run down to the ground level. the ranger must always be the last one to leave. i m standing at the emergency exit, debating this thought, looking at the stairwell as debris is coming down the stairs. i decide i have to go back up, but i m going to run as fast as i possibly can. she sprints up to make sure the floor is clear. i m running around that top level. there s a lot of debris that has fallen now. i go back down, but as i m going back down the other stairwell, a father has run up from the floor below. he was crying his son s name over and over, so i knew that his son was already down because there was nobody else up there. i go down to the next level but then i stay and yell at him to come down the stairwell. until he does, i won t leave. once the area is cleared nicolette begins the 900-step de
partway down she hears on her radio that a 5.2 magnitude earthquake has struck the washington area. until that moment, nicolette believes it s a terrorist attack. we work at the icons and our training revolves around attacks like that. that is the first thought that comes into your mind. it makes sense she doesn t consider an earthquake. this is the first large quake to hit the region in more than a century, but nicolette knows enough to realize the danger isn t over. i let out a sigh of relief initially but then i realized there are after-shocks and i m still roughly 350 feet up in the air. so i still need to keep moving as fast as i can to get that last visitor out. ten long minutes before nicolette makes it to solid ground, but everyone is safe. it will be many months before she can go back inside the monument again. the earthquake has damaged the 127-year-old structure. to find out the extent of the destruction, the park service calls in the experts.
the ranger on duty at the top is a little shaken. a rare earthquake jolts a national monument, and a park ranger faces the test of her life. i felt very, very, very terrified, very scared. thinking that i may not get out of the building. then while inspecting the damage, an engineer is taken for hair-raising ride. nicolette williams has worked as a park ranger at the national mall in washington, d.c., for two years. she enjoys interacting with tourists from all over the globe. every single day, we work at our different memorials and provide historical tours for visitors. on august 23rd, 2011, she s assigned to the washington monument. it s 500 feet up and we have windows on all four sides. you can see very far into maryland, virginia, about 30, 35 miles at least. security camera footage from just before 2:00 p.m. shows
monument, that s not surprising the ranger on duty at the top is a little shaken. a rare earthquake jolts a national monument, and a park ranger faces the test of her life. i felt very, very, very terrified, very scared. thinking that i may not get out of the building. then while inspecting the damage, an engineer is taken for a hair-raising ride. nicolette williams has worked as a park ranger at the national mall in washington, d.c., for two years. she enjoys interacting with tourists from all over the globe. every single day, we work at our different memorials and provide historical tours for visitors. on august 23, 2011, she s assigned to the washington monument. it s 500 feet up and we have windows on all four sides. you can see very far into maryland, virginia, about 30, 35 miles at least. security camera footage from just before 2:00 p.m. shows
attack, but when a magnitude 5.8 quake rattles the washington monument, that s not surprising the ranger on duty at the top is a little shaken. a rare earthquake jolts a national monument, and a park ranger faces the test of her life. i felt very, very, very terrified, very scared. thinking that i may not get out of the building. then while inspecting the damage, an engineer is taken for a hair-raising right. nicolette williams has worked as a park ranger at the national mall in washington, d.c., for two years. she enjoys interacting with tourists from all over the globe. every single day, we work at our different memorials and provide historical tours for visitors. on august 23rd, 2011, she s assigned to the washington monument. it s 500 feet up and we have windows on all four sides. you can see very far into maryland, virginia, about 30, 35