Peabody native survives earthquake in Mexico

BOSTON — A Peabody native who now lives in Mexico witnessed the destruction from Tuesday’s earthquake firsthand.

Caitlin Patricia Weiler had just gotten out of the shower and was putting on her makeup when the quake struck. Her boyfriend was also home at the time.

“We were trying to catch glasses and things were falling in the house,” Weiler told Boston 25 News. “The whole building was shifting back and forth to the point where we got to a wall where we could hold on, but the swaying of the building was so strong that I actually hit the floor. That was really the longest minute of my life. “

Cracks in her apartment walls are proof things could have been a lot worse.

“I'm worried about the structural integrity of my building. It was hard to sleep [Tuesday] night because everyone's anticipating some aftershocks happening,” Weiler said.

>>RELATED: How you can help people affected by the Mexico earthquake

Weiler and her boyfriend weren’t hurt and escaped the brunt of the damage, but rescuers are still frantically trying to pull survivors from the rubble.

“We've been informed that if you have a wifi network to release it so there's no password in case there's people trapped in the buildings. They can't use the phone service because we're having a lot of trouble with the connections here in Mexico,” Weiler said.

For Weiler, the quake gave her flashbacks of one of Boston’s darkest days.

"The last time I remember feeling this way was for the Boston Marathon Bombings," Weiler said. 
But like Boston, she believes Mexico will power through.

“Just like we were Boston Strong, Mexico is a force to be reckoned with, so everyone's coming together,” Weiler said.

Weiler is an actress and a model. She told Boston 25 News the entertainment industry in Mexico is working together to help those affected.

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