5.9 magnitude quake rocks East Coast

[JamesSavik]

5.9 magnitude quake rocks East Coast

 

Source Link: USA Today

 

 

A 5.9 magnitude quake center in Virginia rocks the East Coast, with tremors felt as far south as North Carolina, as far north as Buffalo and Boston, and as far west as Detroit.

 

Update at 2:36 p.m. ET: The Associated Press quotes the U.S. Wather Service as saying the quake says no tsunami is expected after the quake.

 

Update at 2:30 p.m. ET: The Washington Post quotes a a USGS official as saying, "We would certainly expect aftershocks."

 

Update at 2:29 p.m. ET: The USGS suggests that the quake is the largest to originate in Virginia since May 31, 1897.

 

Update at 2:26 p.m. ET: The USGS says the quake was centered at a depth of 4.6 miles.

 

Update at 2:18 p.m. ET: In "the East Coast you have this old hard, cold crust that does a lovely job of transmitting the waves," says Lucy Jones, a seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. "This large of an earthquake …. could definitely have been felt hundreds of miles away."

 

Update at 2:16 p.m. ET: Fox News reports that JFK airport has been shut down because of the quake.

 

Update at 2:15 p.m. ET: "It scared the heck out of me, I'm still shaking," said Joan Morris, spokewoman for the northern district of the Virginia Department of Transportation. A few minutes after the quake, there were no reports of damage to roads or bridges in the state, Morris said.

 

Update at 2:13 p.m. ET: The USGS now puts the magnitude of the quake at 5.9.

 

Update at 2:12 p.m. ET: The quake could be felt in McLean, Va., headquarters of USA TODAY. It caused the building to sway. Some items could be heard falling from shelves. A number of employees went left the building.

 

Update at 2:10 p.m. ET: NBC reports that the quake was centered nine miles from Mineral, Va., which is 100 miles south of Washington, D.C.

 

Says Doug Kammerer, meteorlogist with the NBC affiliate in Washington, calls the tremor a "very big earthquake for our area."

 

The quake struck around 1:15 p.m. ET and lasted for about 30 to 45 seconds.

 

There have been no reports of injuries or widespread damage.

 

Update at 2p.m. ET: Reuters reports a 6.0 magnitude earthquake centered near Mineral, Va., rocked the mid-Atlantic states and was felt as far north at Manhattan and as far south as North Carolina.

 

Update at 1:57 p.m. ET:The Associated Press reports that the Pentagon is being evacuated.

 

An apparent earthquake rocks Washington, D.C. area.

 

Fox news reports that several public buildings, including the Capitol, have been evacuated.

 

 

_____________________________________

 

East Coast earthquake: 5.9 magnitude epicenter hits Virginia

By Melissa Bell

 

Source Link: Washington Post

 

An earthquake hit the East Coast Tuesday afternoon, rattling nerves up and down the country. The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake hit near the town of Mineral, Virginia with a 5.9 magnitude .

 

People reported feeling the ground move as far north as Boston and as far south as Anderson, South Carolina. A Colombus, Ohio government worker reported the building shook there, as well.

 

In Washington, people spilled out onto the streets and reports came in that the earthquake was strong enough in Virginia to break glass and shake products off store shelves.

[Cyhort]

*insert required "that wasn't an earthquake, that was me having sex" joke here*

 

 

Now that that's out of the way, I felt it up here in New York. It was just a tiny shake. My mom flipped out and started panicking and my dad thought it was the washing machine. I thought it was fun. A few weeks ago we had a tornado and now an earthquake, maybe the world really is gonna end next year....lol.

[K.C.]

Here in Virginia the hospital shook really hard for a few seconds. The carts started rolling around. The eerie sound of the metal instruments shaking and clinking was weird, but nothing to freak out over. Everyone stopped and looked at each other then back to work!

 

 

[TetRefine]

At my house in New Hampshire, I didn't feel a thing. Apparently about 3 miles down the road at the hospital my mom works at, it shook everything around pretty good. Strange.

[methodwriter85]

I was sitting on my coach watching the movie "Frequency"- I thought it was a strong gust of wind that hit the house, but then a trophy fell down from the top of hutch in our living room.

[CassieQ]

At my house in New Hampshire, I didn't feel a thing. Apparently about 3 miles down the road at the hospital my mom works at, it shook everything around pretty good. Strange.

 

 

I felt it while I was sitting in the parking lot (I thought a gust of wind was rocking my car) and one of my coworkers left the office for a few minutes after the windows started rattling. However, another girl I work with was walking across the parking lot and didn't feel anything at all, and neither did some of my coworkers who were driving back in from town. I don't think it was felt very strongly outside of the NYC/Washington D.C. area. Very subtle.

 

 

[W_L]

It was like a sudden jolt, but I thought it was some truck moving past the KFC (Yes, I don't eat healthy ).

 

They evacuated a lot of offices in Boston due to the minor quake; I think people still have images of Japan in the back of their heads.

 

There's also some news on a Virginia nuclear reactor failing after the quake (from a 5.9 quake !). That's pretty creepy, but it was dealt with very quickly.

 

imagine if the quake had been an 8.0 or something higher, I know most east coast buildings were not built to withstand earthquake stress like the buildings in the west coast.

[Andrew Q Gordon]

Well, I was in my office on the 11th floor. At first it felt like a really big something was jumping up and down. The floor started to warble. I was talking to a narcotics detective about a trial tomorrow and I said, I think were having an earth quake. He laughed and told me to enjoy it. Then the bigger jolt hit and the entire building swayed. People started screaming, getting their stuff and telling people to get out. I stayed for a bit, got a call from the hubby who couldn't believe they were evacuating the building. [i could hear the sirens going off and the PA was blaring everyone leave the building.] We hung around, people were being stupid and freaking out because no one could get cell service because EVERYONE was trying to use their cell phones to call someone.

 

My boss was frantic, looking for her girlfriend and finally I just said, I'm going to get coffee, anyone want to go? My best friend and fellow member of the office gay brigade said yes and we left. Before we could return, an email arrived saying the office was closed for the rest of the day. I had all my stuff, Justin left with nothing. I went home, he had to wait a couple hours to get back in to get his stuff because there weren't enough building inspectors to look at the building to certify it safe. Also I heard they wouldn't let folks use the elevators at first so I have no idea how some folks were going to make it up 10 - 11 flights to our offices.

 

Me personally, I thought it was wicked cool, until they evacuated us, but I guess I'm not right in the head because most people thought it was scary. The thought that the building was going to collapse never crossed my mind and it didn't sway THAT much. It kinda sucked because I had a free afternoon today and was planning to use it to prepare for my September trials

[AnytaSunday]

Felt it in Pittsburgh--

 

Boy, I wouldn't want to have anything centred closer to us--not living in this match-stick apartment. It feels like an earthquake when the neighbors just walk above us. This place would crumple like a used-serviette in the real thing.

 

But all these natural phenomena is certainly interesting. This summer has been filled with wow-awing-freaky thunderstorms too. In fact, just last week, five minutes up the road from us, four people died in a flash flood that came with a sudden storm.

 

It reminds me just how much respect we should have for nature.

[ricky]

The epicenter was 15 miles from my house. We thought the gas station up the hill blew up the explosion sound was so loud.

 

I was busy mig welding at the neighbors place. Lost the bead on that one. Well pretty doesn't count. The bigger the blob the better the job.

 

Not cool though. totally not cool. I thought I left all that shake and bake stuff in California and Alaska. then to find out I bought a place 15 miles from a fault line. Sheesh!

[TalonRider]

Glad to see your safe Ricky.

 

I didn't know anything about it until I was on the way home an hour later. I heard about it on the radio when it was mentioned that the Philly airport was closed for a very short time due to an earthquake, but they didn't mention where it occurred.

[ricky]

Glad to see your safe Ricky.

 

I didn't know anything about it until I was on the way home an hour later. I heard about it on the radio when it was mentioned that the Philly airport was closed for a very short time due to an earthquake, but they didn't mention where it occurred.

 

Thanks Talon Rider.

We didn't suffer any damage at all except the soiled underwear. What was surprising was the tremendous sound like the loudest thunder you have ever heard. For me, with as many earthquakes as I've been through and that is a bunch, big ones too, was the intensity of the sound. That was unexpected. I've heard rumbles and even a little thunder like sound but never anything like this. We literally thought the gas station up the hill blew up. It was THAT loud.

[methodwriter85]

"I have Maryland Pride."

[Dannsar]

As I said in the Iconoclasts 3 thread, I just thought someone had said something about Obama that Private Tim and TetRefine had to agree with. That would cause an awful lotta shaking in those boys! Sky falling in, hell freezing over sorta stuff

[Mark Arbour]

Alright, are there any other former or present Californians out there that think these east coast boys are being big pussies? I mean, it was a 5.9 earthquake. It shakes for a bit, some stuff cracks, and it's over.

[ricky]

Alright, are there any other former or present Californians out there that think these east coast boys are being big pussies? I mean, it was a 5.9 earthquake. It shakes for a bit, some stuff cracks, and it's over.

 

Hey I represent that remark... wait, that didn't come out just right. I did a LOT of quakes in my years in California and even more in the six years in Alaska. I just didn't expect it here. But it was a bit louder than any I've witnessed before and I have been through some real shakers.

[Cyhort]

Alright, are there any other former or present Californians out there that think these east coast boys are being big pussies? I mean, it was a 5.9 earthquake. It shakes for a bit, some stuff cracks, and it's over.

 

Dude, I've lived in New York my whole life and even I think we're being pussies. It barely even shook over here and people were flooding out of buildings like there was an anthrax alarm going off. And then to make it even worse some stupid news lady in NYC was going on about how surprised she was that people in the city weren't freaking out at the tiny shakes because according to her, and I'm paraphrasing here, New Yorkers are constantly living in fear of gang violence or terrorist attacks that a little shake should have totally freaked them out and sent them into a panicked mob. I've never lived in the city, but I was offended for them.

[ricky]

Dude, I've lived in New York my whole life and even I think we're being pussies. It barely even shook over here and people were flooding out of buildings like there was an anthrax alarm going off. And then to make it even worse some stupid news lady in NYC was going on about how surprised she was that people in the city weren't freaking out at the tiny shakes because according to her, and I'm paraphrasing here, New Yorkers are constantly living in fear of gang violence or terrorist attacks that a little shake should have totally freaked them out and sent them into a panicked mob. I've never lived in the city, but I was offended for them.

 

YOUR WHOLE LIFE? What, were you like a really bad toddler or something to get sentenced to the cold and grey for so long? I mean, even the bad seed got a little breather there.

 

Wow, New York for life! Ouch.

[Cyhort]

YOUR WHOLE LIFE? What, were you like a really bad toddler or something to get sentenced to the cold and grey for so long? I mean, even the bad seed got a little breather there.

 

Wow, New York for life! Ouch.

 

Oh, quiet you. It's not that bad. As long as you stay away from the people and don't mind insanely high taxes. And at least I don't live in the city. I live in what the city people laughingly refer to as the "country", we've got a lake we can't swim in and everything.

[Tomas]

An earthquake on the East coast. That's not right. Now a hurricane is a horse of a different color, or if you will 'colour'. LOL. I'm happy that no one over there suffered any major damage and all are safe. Especially our friends in Virginia.

 

Of course, hurricanes aren't a problem here, but we do have earthquakes and volcanoes. Oh and the possibility of tsunamis along the coast.

 

[sarcasm on]

It was heartening to find out that the media was on the job and knew that the world was waiting with bated breath to find out if Obama felt the earthquake while he was on the golf course. As if...

 

And now his vacation may have to be cut short because of Irene. Awwwww... poor thing. Haven't yet been able to find violin small enough.

[sarcasm off]

 

Bye!

[methodwriter85]

To be fair, however, a lot of buildings on the East Coast are pretty old, especially in the New York/Philly/D.C. area, and they can't really take strong earthquakes. I think that was the concern more than anything.

[ricky]

Oh, quiet you. It's not that bad. As long as you stay away from the people and don't mind insanely high taxes. And at least I don't live in the city. I live in what the city people laughingly refer to as the "country", we've got a lake we can't swim in and everything.

 

A lake you can't even swim in? See! Man's inhumanity to man. It never ceases to amaze me how one can torture another like this. You should move to the state capital, Orlando. At least there they let you swim with the sharks. (Always wanted a chance to use this emoticon. Up til now it was totally useless.)

 

You may notice that it is 3:37 AM. I was sleeping just fine when my son rushed in to wake me when the after shock didn't. Nice of him.

I'm booking him a flight to New York. They can use another breeder up there.

[TalonRider]

I was born and grew up in Indiana. I remember back in the 60's, I was watching some Saturday morning cartoons and the house started shaking. I thought it was the washing machine out of balance as my mom did laundry on that day. I found out later, there had been an earthquake in Louisiana and that's what shook the house.

[Cyhort]

A lake you can't even swim in? See! Man's inhumanity to man. It never ceases to amaze me how one can torture another like this. You should move to the state capital, Orlando. At least there they let you swim with the sharks. (Always wanted a chance to use this emoticon. Up til now it was totally useless.)

 

You may notice that it is 3:37 AM. I was sleeping just fine when my son rushed in to wake me when the after shock didn't. Nice of him.

I'm booking him a flight to New York. They can use another breeder up there.

 

In our defense the only reason we can't swim in it is because NYC uses it for it's water supply. Can't have the filthy peasants messing up the drinking water for the Chosen Ones in the city We do have a lake in the next town we can swim in but the "beach" is tiny and I haven't seen anyone swimming in it since I was 4.

 

And you're a lot more tolerant to your son than I'd be. Instead of posting online I'd be looking for a place to dump the body Oh, and trust me, the LAST thing New York needs is a population increase so just keep him with you.

[Mark Arbour]