Fairfield Woman Caught In Costa Rica Earthquake During Honeymoon
FAIRFIELD (CBS13) - Jeff Eskelson's daughter left for Costa Rica a few days ago on her honeymoon.
The quake hit on Costa Rica's pacific coast nearly 90 miles from San Jose.
He waited for a text from his daughter.
"We were in a really bad earthquake, but we're OK," the text message read.
Before that, Jeff tried not to panic.
"We were constantly calling to see if anybody had heard anything," said Eskelson.
His daughter, Priscilla, and her husband left for Costa Rica on Saturday, two years after their wedding day, and 14 months after the birth of their firstborn.
"They were very excited about it," said Eskelson.
But halfway through their trip, the largest earthquake since 1991 hit Costa Rica, rattling buildings and cutting power near the capital.
"I was just like, 'no,'" said Eskelson.
Eskelson says he heard the news on the way to work Wednesday morning, while listening to the radio.
"We're just wondering how we can get a hold of them," he said.
Then Eskelson got that text.
"I love you, don't text back, it's not our phone," it read.
Then finally, he got to hear his daughter's voice.
"They had a phone set up and I guess she waited in line," he said.
Father and daughter spoke for just a few minutes as she recounted the terrifying moments from that tremor and then the tsunami warning.
"They did a lot of running, and it was just a very scary experience, and that everything was ok, and that everything was trashed," said Eskelson.
It just so happens the couple's hotel sat in the epicenter of the earthquake. Priscilla survived, walking away with quite a story to tell about her honeymoon.
"Priscilla's never had an earthquake, felt an earthquake living here until today," said Eskelson.
The couple is expected to return in a couple days.
The last earthquake was a 6.1 a few years ago that left 40 dead. So far, three have died in this quake.
