East Coast Hit by Severe Earthquake

The entire Eastern seaboard felt an earthquake rocked the rural part of Northern Virginia, at approximately 1:45 PM this afternoon.

It had a magnitude of 5.9, and buildings were rattled in Washington DC, New York and as far up as Toronto. Cellphone service is still blacked out in the surrounding area. CNN showed footage of a press conference for the Dominique Strauss-Kahn case that was disrupted by the tremors.

It was the worst earthquake in the area’s history since December 9, 2003 and even that disturbance was much weaker: It had a magnitude of 4.5. Though no reports on major damage have been released, people in the area are advised to remain careful for the next few hours, particularly if they live or work in brick houses; those structures are often more vulnerable to earthquakes.

Residents should be on the alert for the smell of gas as well; tremors can disrupt plumbing and lead to gas leaks. The two nuclear power plants near the epicenter have taken emergency measures but their coolant pipes are fully functual and, by all reports, they are completely stable

Image taken from the Washington Post. Original found HERE

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