Earthquake Video from Inside Washington Monument Released – Structure Closed Indefinitely by Park Department

In a video recently released by the National Park Service, people are seen inside the Washington Monument as the earthquake shook the monument, and the northeastern United States, in August.

Watch Video from Inside Washington Monument during the Earthquake

In a statement on Monday of this week, National Park Service said that the Washington Monument will remain closed indefinitely while they continue to assess the damage. According to the statement, the agency has so far determined that the damage from the 5.8-magnitude earthquake was more severe than initially thought.

The video seen here is from the web site of the National Park Service which had been captured by one of the security cameras in the observation deck near of the monument. In the video, debris can be seen falling from the ceiling as people inside the monument are trying to get out to safety.

Park officials have indicated that the elevator was also damaged during the earthquake and that it currently only goes up about half way to the top of the 555 foot structure.

A report in the Washington Post said that engineers are planning a “block-by-block inspection of the exterior Tuesday while suspended by ropes.”

According to the Park Service officials quoted in the Washington Post article, the worst damage is in the pyramid-shaped top of the structure, and “Daylight is visible at a number of the vertical joints where mortar is missing.”