por admin » Mar Ago 23, 2011 1:29 pm
Earthquake Shakes U.S. East Coast
A Wall Street Journal Roundup
WASHINGTON—A 5.9 magnitude earthquake centered northwest of Richmond, Va., shook much of Washington, D.C., and was felt as far north as New York City and Rhode Island.
The quake sent hundreds of people spilling into the street a block from the White House, with other buildings evacuated in North Carolina and tremors felt as far away as New York City.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was 3.7 miles deep. Shaking was felt at the White House and all over the East Coast, as far south as Chapel Hill, N.C. Parts of the Pentagon, White House and Capitol were evacuated. The quake was in Mineral, Va., in Louisa County.
The quake struck at 1:51 p.m. and was centered 87 miles southwest of the nation's capital.
Cellphone service failed in the Washington area with circuits apparently overwhelmed by stunned Washingtonians trying to reach loved ones.
Buildings in New York City shook briefly. Government buildings in the city, including City Hall, were evacuated. The 26-story federal courthouse in lower Manhattan began swaying and hundreds of people were seen leaving the building. Court officers weren't letting people back in.
The control towers at Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport were evacuated, according to media reports.
Shock waves were also felt in Ohio, where office buildings swayed in Columbus and Cincinnati and the press box at the Cleveland Indians' Progressive Field shook.