An earthquake of considerable intensity awoke the camp, and the Big House shook like a shimmy dancer. Frightened and half-dressed, women rushed out of their rooms into the corridors to look for their husbands and children. The corridors were jammed with excited people and children, all screaming with terror.
Several women ducked under school benches, while one completely naked Negro boy rushed out of the building and hid in the hibiscus bushes. There he stayed until order was restored and all the lights had gone out in the building.