Tragedy in 1977 and the Aftermath in Socialism

By Dr. Ileana Johnson PaughNovember 6, 2026

Dictator Ceausescu gave the order to stop the building consolidations and to proceed with just covering the cracks; everything broken in the interior had to stay as it was

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Americans have an interesting tradition; they ask where a person was at the moment of a disaster and people gladly share their memories from that date and that moment. Here is mine from 1977.

This traumatic event occurred on March 4, 1977. It was a chilly spring, Friday evening, and I was excited because we had hot water and I wanted to take a shower before the state turned the water off, a frequent occurrence in the poorly run communist economy.

32,900 buildings were left damaged and destroyed, and 35,000 families were without shelter

At exactly 9:22 p.m. the walls started shaking badly, followed by an earthly whine unlike anything I had heard before. The bowels of the earth came to life like a giant monster. I dropped into the tub in a crouching position wondering when the walls were going to start falling apart. I watched the bathroom walls mesmerized as they swayed because I wanted to see how I would die. My dad was pounding on the door for me to get out and run down the stairs, but I could not speak and I was terrified in place like a statue.

We lived on the fifth floor, and I could not run fast enough to make it outside. Trying to run down the stairs would have been a mistake because a lot of people died when the stairs collapsed but the building did not. They could have survived if they had stayed put.

The 7.5 earthquake lasted 56 seconds, a long time for such a powerful and violent disaster. People were at home, had dinner with their families, and were getting ready to watch the Friday night movie that was allowed on the communist TV.........

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