It was smooth, but it was big earthquake.

By Sunday afternoon -- whether terrified or calm in the face of the earthquake -- people had stories to tell about what they felt and what they saw when the ground started to sway. Others were cleaning up messes. It was smooth, but it was big,” said Cobb, the 50-year-old director of curriculum at the Kuspuk School District. He was in Anchorage, along with scores of other educators, for a weekend conference. “Everyone was amazed at how strong it felt,” he said. People could get down to the lobby using the emergency stairs, but they couldn’t return to their rooms for an hour or so until staff unlocked the stairwells, Cobb said.