Virginia Earthquake Felt Along East Coast & New York City

Where were you when the Virginia 5.8 earthquake hit? That’s certainly been the topic of conversation for the day.

At approximately 1:51pm,  the earthquake shook along the northeast generating from a fault line in Richmond, Virginia. Although the quake made no significant damage, it is quite unusual for one of this magnitude to hit the east coast at all. The shimmers were felt in the nation’s capital, New York City, Pennsylvania, even stretching as far as New England.

CNN reports,

A strong earthquake in Virginia shut down a nearby nuclear power plant Tuesday afternoon and sent out seismic waves felt by millions from Georgia to northern New England. Three aftershocks were reported by Tuesday evening.

No major injuries or extensive damage were reported after the 5.8-magnitude earthquake, which struck about 40 miles northwest of Richmond. The quake prompted evacuations of office buildings and the closing of monuments in the nation’s capital.

Although Californian are finding amusement in the hysteria the “minor” quake has caused, it’s quite scary to imagine the, potential, magnitude of damage and lives lost from a more serious quake in the Tri-state and surrounding areas. Are we prepared for this? Perhaps not. Something many New Yorkers are thinking about at the moment.

The city that never sleeps has certainly gone back to its daily hussle and bussle but what is left are  rattled nerves and for good reason. Something New Yorkers should ask themselves is, where do we go from here? An answer we may not be able to answer. Perhaps until the unforeseeable occurs.

Where were you when the Virgina earthquake hit?

(photo: CBS News )