Loud Noises Stir Seattle Area

I saw Facebook and Twitter flood with updates from friends saying they hear a loud noise, boom, or explosion in the Seattle area. All of these friends are from Olympia, Tacoma, Federal Way, Auburn, West Seattle, and Seattle. Some said that the buildings they were in were shaking violently right after, almost like an earthquake. I did not feel or hear anything from Redmond.

Wondering what the heck was going on, KOMO News eventually reported this:

SEATTLE -- Two F-15 fighter jets rushing from Portland triggered two sonic booms that were heard across a wide swath of the Puget Sound region, fraying nerves and knocking out 911 service to parts of Pierce County for about an hour.

The jets were responding to a float plane that had entered restricted presidential air space over Western Washington, the FAA reported.

The plane landed safely at a float plane harbor in Kenmore on the northern shores of Lake Washington, a worker at the harbor told KOMO News.

Several calls from worried residents across the region, from Olympia to Edmonds, flooded emergency dispatchers and the KOMO newsroom reporting two distinct explosions that rattled windows and shook homes around 1:50 p.m.

A spokesman with the Oregon Air National Guard said two F-15s from their 142nd Fighter Wing were scrambled on a "real world mission" from their base at Portland International Airport. The FAA had restricted a large area to aircraft over Seattle due to President Obama's visit.

NORAD spokesman John Cornelio said the aircraft left the restricted area before the Air National Guard jets arrived, and there was no intercept. Meanwhile, a source told ABC News the plane landed just before the fighter jets got to him.

Todd Banks, president of Kenmore Air, said the float plane was a private Cessna 180 with a man and woman on board. He said a police car had already arrived at the scene. Kenmore Air owns the harbor where the plane landed,

The ABC News source said the Secret Service will interview the pilot out of an abundance of caution, but it seems to be a fairly routine matter and does not look to be anything sinister at this point.

A passenger, Laura Joseph of Normandy Park, told The Associated Press she and the pilot were returning from Lake Chelan in eastern Washington and didn't know of the flight restrictions.

ABC News is now reporting the same thing.

There you have it. We live to see another day... for now. Hope this calms your nerves if you still haven't heard. Comment with your experience with today's craziness, if you had one.