Earthquake Strikes East Coast (Updated)
Aug 23rd, 2011 | 9 responses
Update: For any of our readers on the East Coast, please feel free to comment and offer us feedback on your experience.
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Update: CNN interviewed the vice mayor of Mineral who reported that the town hall has considerable damage to the roof (crumbling bricks) and she has felt 5 aftershocks.
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Update: TMV correspondent Shaun Mullen reports as follows
I was at the university library where I work (about 200 miles from the epicenter) when there suddenly was about 15 seconds of shaking and a few small aftershocks. The American students acted confused while the Asian students — we have a large Chinese and Japanese student presence — knew exactly what to do. They grabbed their laptops and books and fled the library.
I lived in Japan for three years and can state with authority that today’s quake was small beer. Newsworthy, but not much.
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A 5.8 magnitude earthquake has struck in the area of Mineral, Virginia (about 90 miles from DC). Reports now say it may be 5.9 and would be the largest to strike the region since the 19th century. Serious aftershocks are considered unlikely according to the USGS.
The quake was felt in the Washington DC area and news reports say that it was felt as far away as Ohio and New England. This is not surprising since the East part of the country has far fewer mountains to block or absorb the shock waves. In addition the structure of the rocks and the overall geology is such that the energy of the quake is transmitted further and faster than in the Western US.
One of our TMV writers from the DC area says that it was mild shaking with no damages or injuries in their area, but lots of people milling around outside.
An 1811 quake in Missouri for example was felt over 1,000 miles away from the epicenter. That quake was part of a series during 1811 and 1812 that most experts consider the largest earthquakes ever to strike North America and possibly the largest ever worldwide.
Reports now coming in that most regional airports (Reagan, Newark, JFK) have been closed down for routine safety inspections. Any time you have a good sized shock you need to check the runways to make sure no cracks have occurred.
Also several regional nuclear plants have closed for the same reason. No report of any problems at all, it’s just automatic safety procedure.
All in all it looks like things are not that bad but people are going through the routine safety inspections and corresponding shutdowns. This will likely mean a big mess for commutes tonight as the trains will take time to catch up, roads and tunnels and bridges may be closed, etc.
Although earthquakes are rare on the east coast they are not unprecedented. A powerful quake struck the Charleston SC area in the 19th century and most east coast cities have experienced strong shocks over the years.
No reported serious damage or injuiries reported yet. However the Pentagon and US Capitol building are reportedly being evacuated for safety reasons.
Living in California I’ve experienced plenty quakes and 5.8 is a pretty decent sized shock. It’s not a major disaster but it’s not a mild shake either. I would expect to see some damage reports coming in and would not be shocked if some serious damage was done closer to the epicenter. However thankfully so far no such reports.
UPDATE: This is worth putting HIGHER than the other videos that came earlier. Watch the earthquake interrupt a news briefing in Washington DC:
Live coverage on CNN (and all the other networks)
UPDATE: More videos:
Earthquake caught on tape in DC (no sound):
CNN report:
SKY News in the UK:
Footage of some damage from the quake in Virginia:
A You Tuber tells what he felt:
You can follow blog coverage HERE.
MORE UPDATES:
CBS News has a report a bit more accurate than some of the earlier ones:
MSNBC now has this aired report up on its site:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
FOX News: DC reacts:
9 Responses to “Earthquake Strikes East Coast (Updated)”
As a former long-time So-Cal resident now living in the Beltway, having also gone through the Northridge quake, this one was *very* respectable.
It shut down the North Anna nuclear facility in Virginia.
Makes you think about nuclear power plants around your own area.
Again, just to be clear on the nuclear plants, it’s a routine precaution. Just like inspecting the rail lines/runways/etc.
I’m aware of that, but considering the current fetish against regulation and cutting back government, it is a reminder that some things do require tending, but more importantly, that our nuclear industry is old & decaying, but also shouldn’t be encouraged as a means to solving our energy needs.
In Connecticut: I thought someone was banging on my cubicle walls like a jerk. Didn’t really feel the shaking, I was on a phone call & I tend to pace while doing so.
We were told to evacuate. Work in an old masonry building which tend to shake right apart in earthquakes. East Coast is littered with them. Ours is so old it’s just as likely to crumble apart on Burrito Wednesday.
Overall, a touch of excitement but really a non-event.
Looting starts promptly at 7.
Wanted to provide a link re: the North Anna facility. I’d heard this in a report, but didn’t want to write about it until I had verification.
The shut down at Anna was not routine.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903461304576526642400085456.html
Define “routine”.
The earthquake did “something”, the standard procedures were used to take everything down, backup generators functioned normally, the plant is in a safe state.
Routine? Of course not, there was an earthquake nearby. But there is NO indication that anything other than standard operating procedures were taken.
Watch your phrasing, don’t shed any journo cred by “tweaking” adverbs.
[while the Asian students — we have a large Chinese and Japanese student presence — knew exactly what to do. They grabbed their laptops and books and fled the library]
…and had it been an alien invasion they would all have had their skin sucked off and their flesh eaten.
Paah….knew what to do my eye.
I live in NJ about ten miles as the crow flies from the coast. I was home alone and usually have music playing on the internet. There was nothing playing at the time, of which I am glad, so that I could hear this event. I was startled by what sounded like someone upstairs on the second floor of the house walking loudly from the south to the north and back again from the north to the south. It sounded like an intruder was in the house!! That was the first wave and then it just became clear to me that it was an earthquake. Things were rattling and moving strangely and I walked towards the front door and even the very tall oak trees within feet of the front of the house were moving. It was a strange feeling indeed! I went outside and no one was around and then went back inside and announced my experience in facebook.
My son lives in Texas and he joined me there in Facebook and we chatted. He heard about the earthquake from his friends in Facebook. My nerves were a little rattled for sure. I have no desire to experience that again. It was a significant event for me. I’ve only experienced an earthquake by watching videos of really catastrophic ones.
Some of my neighbors and relatives experienced it as well. It was an event to remember.
I also think that the nuclear energy industry is too old, not safe enough for the dangers that loom in the world and we should invest in safe alternative energy sources. In my opinion the nuclear sites that I know of around here are in very risky locations in terms of the potential for disaster and many people are in danger because of the threat of natural events such as earthquakes, tsunamis and hurricanes.
I’m real thankful that today’s event was not any bigger than it was. It was big enough for me!! It sounds like they have things under control at the nuke plant in Virginia, for now. I would hope that Washington would hear what that earthquake was saying and take an active concern for truly protecting the people of these beautiful United States. The politicians interest seem to be anywhere else but in the USA.