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Earthquake Hits East Coast of US, 5.9 in DC, Capitol and Pentagon Evacuated

Posted: August 23, 2011

Many East Coast residents experienced their first notable earthquake today, and the Capitol and Pentagon were evacuated in the minutes following the tremor.

Information is filtering in from news sources and social networks, with many users reporting the quake from points south of Virginia to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, where President Barack Obama is vacationing. Traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange reported feeling the quake, and buildings in major cities across the Eastern seaboard saw building evacuations due to fears of less strict building codes than on the more quake-prone West Coast.

Major news networks are reporting a magnitude of 5.9 for the quake in DC, close to the tremor’s epicenter in Mineral, Virginia. JFK International Airport in Queens has been shut down in the earthquake’s wake. The WSJ is reporting that the quake was several orders of magnitude stronger than the last of its type- which, at the time, was the strongest quake in the area’s history:

Tuesday’s earthquake was 100 times stronger than an earthquake last July, also near Washington, D.C., which at the time was the largest earthquake in D.C. history.

No major damage has been reported yet in relation to the tremor, nor have any deaths or injuries been associated with the incident.

Did you feel the East Coast Earthquake?



Comments


34 Archived Responses to “ Earthquake Hits East Coast of US, 5.9 in DC, Capitol and Pentagon Evacuated ”

  1. yeehah! welcome to california.

  2. I llive on the east coast in florida but no earthquake.

  3. God's speaking in Washington! Are you listening, Obama and Congress?

  4. buffalo ny felt the earthquke.

  5. Felt it in Centereach NY (Long Island).

  6. I'm in northeast Ohio and my apartment shook, the pictures on the wall moved, and my rocking chair rocked all by itself!

  7. Sara DiNapoli
    Aug 23, 2011

    Felt it in Grandy NC. Was sitting at my desk when it began to sway!

  8. Felt it in Corning NY.

  9. Robin J Koozer
    Aug 23, 2011

    central pa yes indeed!

  10. That was weird.

  11. I'm in CT.
    I have a sinus & inner ear infection & have been having some balance probs. so, at first, I thought it was ME! LOL!
    But I was sitting down & things were gently rocking & swaying! My cats were freaking out so I knew it WASN'T just me!
    Hope everyone is OK in Va. & Washington.

  12. Yes right here in Fairmont WV! That was Crazy!

  13. Maria Romero
    Aug 23, 2011

    Felt it, thought I was having a heart attack, was just panic! Scary feeling……

  14. Susan Taylor Carrier
    Aug 23, 2011

    I am in the Portland Maine area and definitely felt it at my house, the whole house rocked on its foundations for almost a minute…made me feel queasy and nauseous and headachy.

  15. Joann Schiavone
    Aug 23, 2011

    i think you should direct your statement to the republican party thats where the evil starts…

  16. Mari Quinn
    Aug 23, 2011

    honesdale pa and scranton says yes too.

  17. Thank you SOOOO much for the laugh! It's not just the Republicans… it's the WHOLE ball of wax!!!!

  18. Joann Schiavone
    Aug 23, 2011

    well i am glad i could make u laugh…. who are the majority…

  19. Republicans in the House and Democrats in the Senate and then there's OBAMA who makes all the final decisions and is the one who does all the arm twisting to get his way.

  20. I'm in State College, PA and it shook our whole house. I thought there were aliens on the roof or something! First time I've ever felt an earthquake.

  21. Marilyn Patton
    Aug 23, 2011

    Central Ohio, yes.

  22. Budd A Robertson
    Aug 23, 2011

    Office building rocked pretty good here in West Trenton, NJ. My blinds were banging against the windows. Pictures swayed.

  23. HESCOMINGSOON.COM

  24. Stacey Lynch
    Aug 23, 2011

    I wonder how far west it was felt ~ still waiting on the big one here in Wa.

  25. "just the normal noises in here"

  26. TELL IT!!!!!