#Earthquake: Benonians share their earthquake experiences

On June 11 at 02.38, Gauteng was rocked by a 4.8 magnitude earthquake, making it the most severe tremor recorded in 60 years.

As the roar of the seismic event rumbled 10km below ground, windows rattled and pictures fell off walls.

Wilma Ornelas, Northmead: Our cupboards rattled, and our kitchen window broke. It lasted for a couple of seconds and was very scary.

Theo Jason Page, Lilyvale: Having a Jack Russel is an honour because my dog woke me up 30 minutes before it
happened. She felt it coming and went crazy. I could not understand why until the tremor occurred. Listen to your
animals because they might be trying to tell you something.

Nhlanhla Vangili Mnguni, Daveyton: I am still traumatised. My bed was shaking, and the windows were cracking. I thought it was the end of the world. I prayed so hard.

Vaughn Grobler, Rynfield AH: It felt like it wouldn’t stop. Animals, alarms, roofs, and birds all went crazy for those few seconds. No damages, at least.

Adriaan Struwig, Benoni: I live on the 12th floor in Maluti Flats. It was the worst experience of my life. The
whole building was shaking, and the sounds were horrific. There was no damage to the property, only my heart.

Thabile Doris, Benoni: The beds shook like hell at the Netcare Lakeview Hospital. I thought the hospital was
collapsing.

Jhanene Kemp, Crystal Park: The rumbling noise woke me and lasted a good couple of seconds. The windows rattled and sounded like a low-flying aircraft. The dogs went crazy after it happened but, luckily, no damage.

Angelique White, Morehill: I didn’t hear or feel a thing. Apparently, I sleep better than I thought.

Esmerelda Venter, Brentwood Park: I felt it quite strongly. The house shook, and you could hear the windows creaking. All the animals were startled. Luckily, no damage.

Carol Kelly Baloyi, Crystal Park: I felt everything in my sleep. It was like I was reporting it to someone, saying
it was an earthquake, and I had to record the time it lasted so I could tell everyone about it. I didn’t wake up at all. I was shocked to get a message from my friend asking if we were fine. I checked what time she sent the message
and found it was around 03:00. I responded we are fine, why are you asking, what happened? Then she called and asked about the earthquake. I was like, yes, I felt and heard it, but didn’t wake up at all.

Yvonne Schroeter, Norton Home Estates: We are on a plot, and the lights are like a runway to the dam. We are a family with three houses, and I slept through everything but woke up with dogs going crazy and hadedas going mad. I said to my husband, ‘What is going on with all the dogs barking and birds going mad?’ He said he thought an old plane landed on the plot with a terrible noise. I jumped out of bed to check outside, and it was peaceful. He thought he had a bad dream but did not know why all the animals went crazy. 5.30 my friend phoned to find out if we were okay and told us about the earthquake. My granddaughter woke up and saw all the cupboard doors shaking. So, for those who don’t know, it sounds like an old plane making a crash landing.

Elizabeth De Meneses Meyer, Farrarmere: The whole house shook terribly, and windows rattled. I thought the walls were going to come down. It carried on for about 25 seconds.

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