The earth moved under the feet of millions Tuesday afternoon as a 5.8-magnitude earthquake rattled the Eastern seaboard from Richmond, Va., to New York and beyond. No injuries were reported, and only minor structural damage was found in the tri-state area. Hearts were racing Tuesday as walls and floors began to shake and buildings were evacuated. Two weak tremors were felt in Franklin County for less than 30 seconds during the largest quake to hit the East Coast since the 1940s.
The earth moved under the feet of millions Tuesday afternoon as a 5.8-magnitude earthquake rattled the Eastern seaboard from Richmond, Va., to New York and beyond. No injuries were reported, and only minor structural damage was found in the tri-state area.
Hearts were racing Tuesday as walls and floors began to shake and buildings were evacuated. Two weak tremors were felt in Franklin County for less than 30 seconds during the largest quake to hit the East Coast since the 1940s.
Officials with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation called in bridge inspectors to each of the agency’s 11 districts for precautionary inspections across the state.
“We have no reason to believe the Virginia earthquake caused major damage to any state roads or bridges,” said Scott Christie, PennDOT’s deputy secretary for highway administration. “But to err on the side of caution, we are assessing those bridges that could be susceptible to quake damage.”
Kevin Furlong, geosciences professor at Penn State University’s main campus, said the eastern earthquakes are not uncommon.
“Earthquakes of this size are possible anywhere in the Eastern U.S. We should know how to respond during an earthquake. They don’t happen very often, but they do take us by surprise,” he said. “In California we know exactly why they happen. It’s more of a problem to know exactly where they will occur on the East Coast. They are more of a result of the crust of the earth cracking. In the general sense, eastern North America is being compressed. The whole continent is being pushed on from the east. Every so often it results in a small earthquake. We can’t pinpoint where they will occur. They can happen virtually anywhere in the eastern U.S.”
Furlong said an eastern quake’s energy is more efficient than a western quake, which is why it covered such a large area. A number of aftershocks — up to 100 — can occur over the next several days, especially near its epicenter in Virginia. However, he said they will be so small, most areas will not feel them.
Areas closer to the epicenter are more prone to after-effects like rock slides and gas leaks, according to Furlong. The last significant East Coast earthquake occurred in New York in the 1940s, and a tremor rocked the Mid-Atlantic more than 100 years ago. Furlong said it is quite possible another significant earthquake with a larger magnitude could shake the East Coast in the next 50 years or so.
Franklin County Commissioner Bob Thomas said he was in his Chambersburg office when the quake hit.
“I had never felt anything like it,” he exclaimed. “You were just moving with the chair. It felt like the whole building was moving. The upper floors of the courthouse annex felt it more. We evacuated all county buildings as a safety precaution and the buildings were checked.”
Mike Christopher, manager of Washington Township, said he was in his office when he felt it shaking.
“I felt a little tremor and then a bigger one. I got up and looked out my window to see if the guys from the public works department had a vibratory roller out there,” he quipped.
Denny Monn, president of Mont Alto council, said he didn’t feel the tremors, but he looked outside and saw people just standing there wondering what had happened.
“I didn’t know my house could shake like that!” Mont Alto Mayor John Esser said with a laugh.
David Keller, chair of the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, said it sounded like the people above him were dancing or playing a game of basketball.
“It was very sudden and very quick,” he added. “It definitely made my heart pound a little faster.
At the fair
Crowds at the Franklin County Fair in Chambersburg were abuzz with talk of the quake. No interruptions were reported at the fair and all events went on as scheduled.
“I heard about it on Facebook,” said Jesse Kline, 20, of Chambersburg.
“I sort of felt it,” said Jill Martin, 12, of Chambersburg. “We were playing some games in the barn and I felt my chair rocking, like someone was shaking it.”
Some cables swung in the barns, but many people assumed it was a large truck or tractor going by.
“I didn’t feel it, but I saw it all over Facebook,” 2011 Fair Queen Rachel Horst of Mercersburg said. “It’s kind of different. I hope it was nothing serious.”
Many animals at the fair, including the dairy cows, goats, rabbits, chickens and pigs, all became agitated during the quake.
“I was over at the barn and did not feel it,” Robert Eckstine, fair president said. “The cows were jumpy.”
What to do
The Pennsylvania Utility Commission reminds residents to call 911 if they smell or hear natural gas leaking.
Natural gas utility systems are also being checked for leaks. Leaking natural gas sounds like hissing or blowing. If natural gas is leaking, residents should evacuate their homes immediately and only call 911 once they are a safe distance from the odor. The PUC also warns residents not to turn lights on or off or call from a phone while still inside.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency suggests the following tips if an earthquake should hit:
— Drop to the ground and crawl under a sturdy table or piece of furniture and hold on until the shaking stops.
— If you can’t get under something, cover your face and head with your hands and crouch in an inside corner.
— If you’re in bed, stay there and cover your head with a pillow.
— Stay put until the shaking stops.
— If you are outdoors, stay away from buildings, power lines, street lights and other things that can fall on you.
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