An engineering crew from ImPressions Worldwide were in the thick of the action when a series of earthquakes hit Wasilla and Anchorage, Alaska.
"The floor was buckling, the ceiling was rolling and lights and tiles and heating and air-conditioning were falling, the building and press was swaying back and forth," says the company's Jimmy Easterly.
"I can't believe the press didn't collapse."
While the ImPressions team had to stop work on removing a double-width press in Anchorage, it was well-placed to help other newspaper sites affected by the series of tremors which had began in early December. President Tom Loesch told GXpress they were able to mobilise technicians to Wasilla and Anchorage to re-establish level and tram for the two Goss Community press users there.
"We had to stop the Anchorage job because the building was unsafe," he says. "A TV news set inside the same building was destroyed.
"You can see ceiling tiles down in the photos."
Easterly says members of his team were working on various parts of the press when the worst tremor hit: "Steve was in the basement using a Sawzall on the I- beams, Jim and Josh were on the top deck of the press - Josh at the ceiling deck -MJ and Vlad on second deck, at 8.30am when we experienced G#% *%#@ living hell!
"A 7.2 magnitude earthquake had happened. Steve, Vlad and MJ made it out of the building. Josh Hawks was holding his hand on the roof of the press bay and the other hand on the press, Jim was on the second deck and got slammed to the floor.
"Roof tiles, lights and dust were flying everywhere. The floor was buckling, the ceiling was rolling and lights and tiles and heating and air-conditioning was falling. The press was swaying back and forth five feet and Josh rode it out like a champ!
"This was the scariest event I have experienced to date! I cannot believe the press did not collapse."
Pictured: The Anchorage team and site after the earthquake - note the ceiling damage