08-23-11 - US East Coast - Earthquake

[mikeinet 37]

Date: Aug 28, 2011

Time: ~1:55pm EST

Location:Between Richmond VA and Charlottesville, NC

Departments: TBD

Description: 5.6-5.8 earthquake - felt up eastern seaboard from Richmond to Ohio to upstate NY

Evacuations noted across the coast - from Pentagon, US Capitol building, JFK/LGA Control Towers

Links: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/

Writer: mikeinet

Edited August 23, 2011 by mikeinet

[IzzyEng4 427]

I am moving this topic from the IA to make it a discussion.

CT has felt the earthquake and several buildings in the area are being evacuated and investigated for damage.

Reported to be a 5.8 earthquake centered 87 miles south of DC.

New Haven is evacuating the Tennis Center at this time,

the State house in Hartford is also being evacuated as a precaution.

NECN.COM has coverage for the New England area.

I did not feel any tremors at my house, however my sister at work across town from me did feel the tremors.

[sfrd18 360]

I also live in the area affected, but have not felt anything. However, I did hear about the Tennis Center in New Haven.

[lad45der 78]

Well here in the city of Stamford In Rescue 1 we felt the shaken but once again in Group 4 nothing happended except one guy fell out of bed!!!

Bridgeport must have 7 fires by now!!!

[IzzyEng4 427]

CT OEM recommending that any building being evacuated where shaking was felt should be inspected by building inspector (you think??? LOL)

Nothing yet but a bunch of AFAs in the Metro New Haven and Bridgeport area.

Ansonia has a smell of gas in a structure at 200 Main Street, unknown if it is related yet.

[ac316scu 31]

I'm out in Lake Grove, NY on Long Island and we felt it pretty good here. All over the island people are pulling pull stations to evacuate buildings because of what they felt

[Guest fire42rescue]

i am sitting in Mamaroneck at my fire house and the station shook for a good 5 minutes

[IzzyEng4 427]

Link to DCFD audio: http://www.radioreference.com/apps/audio/?action=wp&feedId=2455

Sounds like they are doing first due inspections and some buildings have damage.

[Chief21 8]

Out here in BHUTAN. No alarms but lots of USCG and police activity. All cell traffic is overloaded and not getting through. We had a big shake here. Anyone have accurate info or a site about evacuations?

[lisnak 0]

In Irvington, my building shaked for 30 seconds

[Chief21 8]

Correction to last. Internet is space here. We are in southern Jersey.

[mikeinet 37]

Have coworkers in Cincinnati Ohio that felt the shake -- as well as Syracuse NY.

Was actually on the phone with someone in Virginia near the epicenter, said he had to go then 3-4min later I felt the shake up in Danbury

[Alpinerunner 61]

Felt it up in East Hartford. Some Pratt employees evacuated, some didn't.

[IzzyEng4 427]

Just talked to my friend who lives in NYC. Told me not to worry, this was nothing. After all he is from Tokyo and would know about earthquakes!! LOL

[Bugler83 7]

Nothing in Croton

[snkbitn 2]

Damage in Fishkill and that part of Dutchess County. Fire and Structural Damage still on going.

[ryang 166]

FDNY and NYPD running nonstop with calls for shaking buildings, cracks in buildings, stuck elevators, etc. All the boroughs in Fallback Step III and PD SOD has been going nonstop with ESU units being sent left and right.

[Haggerty 1029 16]

Didnt feel anything in Sturbridge Ma, but friends claimed to of have, i was on the lake all day and wasnt any waves at all.

[PEMO3 523]

USGS is reporting that next 12 hours could bring aftershocks with some being as strong if not stronger than the original 5.9. We are not out of the woods yet.

[99subi 121]

felt it in white plains. dad said he felt it in pleasantville and mom up in peeskill felt it as well. all at work

[SRS131EMTFF 471]

Felt it sitting in my car in Somers, thought it was the bass in my speakers, i guess it was an earthquake.

[efermann 28]

I'm at home in Ossining with my kids and we felt nothing. My wife is working in Ossining and called to say "Did you feel that?" She tells me everyone in her building felt it and that others in her building called to their homes where it was felt. A couple friends of mine from White Plains sent me a message that they felt it.

I teach Earth Science in HS, so I have a bit of knowledge about earthquakes and have connections to data and visualizations and such.

For the next 18 hours or so, you can go to this page (My link) and scroll down to see click-able seismic displays from seismographs all around. Right now (2:44 PM), the Earthquake being discussed here is at the bottom of each image on the 17 line. Over time, the 17 line will migrate to the top of each image. (FYI the other large earthquakes currently in the view - at the end of the 05 line - are from Colorado)

There's plenty of information available about how the Virginia region is (was) at a relatively high risk for a significant earthquake. This would definitely qualify. There are some reports (older and more recent) that NY and the Hudson Valley are also at a significant risk for earthquakes. Maybe as strong as this one was in Virginia.

Clearly, people on here felt the earthquake. For those that did, you can go to this USGS site and complete a "did you feel it" form for the USGS. I just checked and it looks like a lot of people have already filled out the form. From a teaching and science perspective, it would be great if anyone here could also fill it out.

[IzzyEng4 427]

USGS link to epi-center: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsus/Maps/US2/37.39.-79.-77.php

Also Radio Reference is down.

[ac316scu 31]

Also Radio Reference is down.

+1 but if you already have a link open it will still work

[eric12401 77]

Felt the shaking up here in Kingston in Ulster County for about 15 seconds.

[x129K 1,393]

Dang...had my daughter at the park in Millbrook and didnt feel or hear squat...

[FiftyOnePride 100]

Felt in parts of Millerton, mainly along the business district in a straight line. No damage but we were a rockin'.

[dwcfireman 656]

I felt it at HPN. The tower said they shook for about 10 seconds. Everyone thought it was just a loud plane until the news broke. Apparently a bunch of control towers up and down the east coast evacuated, including JFK. The good news is that HPN was not affected and operated as normal. The bad news is the national airspace system shut down temporarily. Anyone flying today or tomorrow make sure you check with your airline to check up on your flight.

[efdcapt115 1,511]

Didn't feel a thing down here in South Fla. But I herd a rumble and thought LTNRFD must have come back down fishing, ate some blacken Tuna and had some baaad gassss.....

[mfc2257 464]

Didn't feel a thing down here in South Fla. But I herd a rumble and thought LTNRFD must have come back down fishing, ate some blacken Tuna and had some baaad gassss.....

That's because he chose tuna over wahoo...