Earthquake in D.C.

[Ally-Ann]

Yeah, D.C. just got hit by a 6.0 earthquake... And my family felt the tremor. For a second, I thought that the soldiers on base here were just testing a few explosives, and apparently my mom thought she had a dizzy spell, but nope. After we put together that the house didn't rattle, but the ground underneath it shook a little, we turned the news on and there it said that D.C. got an earthquake... This is gonna sound farfetched, but this earthquake tremor better not trigger a tsunami. I live on the water. Seriously, it's my backyard, so if a tsunami were to hit, that would kinda suck, y'know? But that's not really likely. Has anyone else here ever been in an actual earthquake or tremor? If you were in a tremor, what did you think it was at first?

[Xeno]

I just got a voice mail from my parents who live on Fort Eustis in Virginia about this. They felt it for about 15 to 20 seconds. I didn't know they had earthquakes in VA.
As far as a tidal wave forming, I suppose it's possible, but if it occurred right in D.C. it's got a lot more land mass to travel through than the one in Fukushima, Japan did.

[mechana2015]

A 6 isn't big enough to trigger a tsunami.

[Ally-Ann]

Apparently they get 'em once in a great blue moon. Kinda scary...

And dude, your parents live at Ft. Eustis?! I lived there for three stinkin' years! Epicness.

A 6 isn't big enough to trigger a tsunami.

Yayz, I'm happy now. *Runs down to the beach*


EDIT: Sorry for the double post.

[mechana2015]

It was also apparanty only a 5.9.

[Cognitive Gear]

Living in California, an earthquake of this magnitude isn't too big of a deal.

However, we have building codes to make sure that we can deal with it, and I am pretty sure that the East Coast doesn't. I've already seen some pictures of older brick walls having fell down as a result. Hopefully that will be the extent of the damage.

What's strange to me is that this is no where near a known fault line. I wonder what the cause was? It looks like a smaller earthquake happened in the same area not too long ago, so I suppose that I have some research to do.

[Ally-Ann]

Fox said it was a 6.0, but meh. No one's been hurt, at least I don't think anyone's been hurt, so I'm relieved.

EDIT: And I read on Google that earthquakes are possible on the east coast, but not likely. This was one of the unlikely chances.

[aliveinHim]

I just felt it!!!!! It was scary. I was working on my daddy's logo on photoshop and all of a sudden the ground started to shake. I was screaming like a maniac to my family, "GET IN THE DOORJAM!!!!!" a million times. I ran out of the house when I saw the stuff on our wall shake. I ran out of the house and once my mommy heard a few of her nice ceramics fall to the ground and break, then the rest of the family ran out of the house. Twas scary.

[mechana2015]

It's on CNN as a 5.8, Wikipedia as a 5.9. It'll be interesting to see waht the actual conclusion is, since ever .2 on the scale is a 100% increase in the strength of the quake, which means FOX literally reported twice as strong an incident as CNN.

[Cognitive Gear]

It's on CNN as a 5.8, Wikipedia as a 5.9. It'll be interesting to see waht the actual conclusion is, since ever .2 on the scale is a 100% increase in the strength of the quake, which means FOX literally reported twice as strong an incident as CNN.

On the USGS earthquake site, it is currently listed as a 5.9. Earlier, though, it was shown as 5.8. I suppose that the earlier report was a misreading?

[TopazRaven]

I felt the tremors here in Pennsylvania and it scared the crap out of me. I've never had this experience before and now I'm afraid about aftershocks because I'm paranoid like that.

[AnimeGirl]

I've never been in an actual Earthquake (at least from what I can remember) but I have felt aftershocks. One time we felt an aftershock that lasted longer than any we've experienced (I don't think it was very long ago either). When we feel shaking, we automatically know it's a quake (or aftershock of it). Being a California girl, well, it's to be expected. Hearing about a quake hitting DC only several months after Japan, well, kinda frightens me. I believe most of CA (including where I LIVE) is within what they call the "Ring of Fire" and so...hopefully nothing tramatic will hit here anytime soon, I HOPE.

I hope the people in DC are OK. I haven't heard anything about injuries or such. We should probably pray for them. Times are getting scary...

[Xeno]

And dude, your parents live at Ft. Eustis?! I lived there for three stinkin' years! Epicness.

Yes, they live on Ft. Useless, but they should be getting relocated soon, possibly to Scofield Barracks in Hawaii. I'm reluctant to say what my father does on the base since there is a chance one of your parents might actually know my dad.

Anyway, back on topic. I'm glad it appears no one was injured. We had an earthquake out here in Oklahoma a number of months ago that was ?!?!?!?! also since I don't think we're near a fault line either. The Mole People will soon rise and retake what was once theirs.

[aliveinHim]

I'm still a little freaked out.

[Nate]

I was sitting here on the computer and at first I thought a plane was flying really low, until the house started shaking harder and I was like "Uh..." My house got shaken pretty decently, but I don't think we had any real damage, some Mountain Dew cans I had got knocked over though.

But yeah, AP is saying 6.0, which makes this the biggest quake we've had in this area, and it was felt as far north as New York and New Jersey, and a good portion of North Carolina too.

I was screaming like a maniac to my family, "GET IN THE DOORJAM!!!!!"

While this is true in California, buildings on the east coast are not built to earthquake codes because they happen so rarely. Standing in a doorway will not protect you in an earthquake, it is not a structurally strong point of the building, and any engineer will tell you that. Again, in California, I believe they have rounded door frames which DO help protect, but square door frames are useless and you will get crushed just as easily under one of them.

[Atria35]

While this is true in California, buildings on the east coast are not built to earthquake codes because they happen so rarely. Standing in a doorway will not protect you in an earthquake, it is not a structurally strong point of the building, and any engineer will tell you that. Again, in California, I believe they have rounded door frames which DO help protect, but square door frames are useless and you will get crushed just as easily under one of them.

This. Your best bet is to get under a table or a desk (in my basement, we have a desk made of metal. Very stable, very safe to be under). And don't run outside- unless you live in the middle of a field, then you're putting yourself and your family at risk of being crushed by a falling tree or streetlight, or even by the walls of the building.

Here, this will help:
http://www.fema.gov/hazard/earthquake/eq_during.shtm

[Sapphire225]

I was watching Television about to take a nap when it hit. At first I thought it was just me but when I got my foot on the ground, I realized it was an earthquake. It was exciting and scary at the same time. My siblings and I peaked out the door to see if it was the entire neighborhood, and it turned out everyone felt it.

It was a 5.9 or something (At first, I thought it was a 1.0 or 2.0). My room is in dissaray...like it usually is. WJZ rounded it up to 6.0

In any case, this is the second one I've experienced (The first being one we had at 5:00 in the morning while I was working on a paper a while ago).

[ShiroiHikari]

I usually don't worry about natural disasters but I'm a little freaked out right now. Earthquakes are scary to me because I live in Oklahoma and we hardly ever have them here. We did have one earlier this year. Scared the crap out of me, especially since I was asleep when it hit and it woke me up.

[Roy Mustang]

What's strange to me is that this is no where near a known fault line. I wonder what the cause was? It looks like a smaller earthquake happened in the same area not too long ago, so I suppose that I have some research to do.

It was near a fault line.

http://www.virginiaplaces.org/geology/quake.html

What a lot of people don't know is, there are a few fault lines around the The Blue Ridge Mts. in Virginia and The Alleghenies in Pennsylvania. Ga has three fault lines, which we had 6.0 to hit near Gainesville Ga in the 60's and about wipe the whole town out.

http://www.gaearthquakeinsurance.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/georgia.jpg

The fault line in the middle picture of the state of Ga is the one that runs up to Va.

[Radical Dreamer]

Apparently, most people who felt it here in SC that I've spoken with were sitting at their desks at the time. My class, however, was taking a tour of the campus for an illustrative tour project my teacher wants us to work on, and I think we were probably all trekking downhill at the time of the tremors. So I missed it until people started talking about it around campus. XD I am a little disappointed to have missed my first earthquake, but I'm glad to hear from most sources that the damage isn't really bad up in VA.

Also, I'm not sure about the building standards in SC. Charleston is sitting right on a fault line and has had some pretty bad earthquakes in the past (though none terribly recently), so it wouldn't surprise me to find at least some buildings in SC with proper earthquake building codes.

[Cognitive Gear]

It was near a fault line.

http://www.virginiaplaces.org/geology/quake.html

What a lot of people don't know is, there are a few fault lines around the The Blue Ridge Mts. in Virginia and The Alleghenies in Pennsylvania. Ga has three fault lines, which we had 6.0 to hit near Gainesville Ga in the 60's and about wipe the whole town out.

http://www.gaearthquakeinsurance.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/georgia.jpg

The fault line in the middle picture of the state of Ga is the one that runs up to Va.

Huh. The map I looked at didn't show any fault lines there. *double checks*

Ah, I was looking at a map of "active" fault lines, in which it didn't show anything on the East Coast.

[mechana2015]

But yeah, AP is saying 6.0, which makes this the biggest quake we've had in this area, and it was felt as far north as New York and New Jersey, and a good portion of North Carolina too.

I think I'm gonna wait for the official USGS number (unless the AP is quoting them.)

Again, in California, I believe they have rounded door frames which DO help protect, but square door frames are useless and you will get crushed just as easily under one of them.

I've actually never seen rounded door frames in California. The current recommendation is to get under or right next to a sturdy piece of furnature that can't tip over, and away from glass and other breakable items.

[ashfire]

I was sitting at my desk in the county garage and the chair was boucing and then the whole building started shaking. I have never seen people clear out so fast. I am gald no one was under a truck on a lift.
The National Cathedral has damage to the spirals on top.
They were afraid the Washington Monument had damage but they say its OK until a good inspection.
More buildings and bridges are being check all over.

[K. Ayato]

Felt it in my apartment. My husband emailed later, seeing the ship's crew was given the news. Nothing was damaged, but it did set my nerves on edge, seeing I'm originally from CA and felt the big one that hit Northridge.

[Technomancer]

Felt it pretty strongly here in southern Ontario too. Felt things starting to move, and started wondering why I should be feeling dizzy. Then the real movement started. It was strong enough to set my bookshelves to swaying, and to knock a few books over.

[ClosetOtaku]

I was sitting in a meeting on the 9th floor of a 16-floor glass and steel building. At first, the building swayed like when it is blown by a strong gust of wind. Then, it started oscillating. There was uncertainty around the table. I stood up and just said one word: "Exits". We all made a beeline.

Taking the first couple steps, it felt like walking on a boat in choppy seas. We were not sure if it had been an explosion or an earthquake, but all I could think of was the WTC towers, and being buried alive in a mass of debris. I felt somewhat more comforted when I got to the reinforced concrete stairwell.

By the time we got to the bottom, I didn't see a lot of debris or a mushroom cloud, so I guessed it had been an earthquake. Moments later, this was confirmed, as we began hearing reports from southern VA and NC via Twitter and FB. No explosion, this.

I'd been in a previous earthquake in Tokyo (reported here on CAA, interestingly), so I wasn't unfamiliar, but I was still rattled more than I would think for such a small event. Guess it comes down to your comfort level with these fifty-year-old buildings and their structural integrity...

[LadyRushia]

I was in the shower and everything started moving. I thought the people above or below me were doing some hardcore construction for a second. I also hoped the building wouldn't start falling apart because I wasn't wearing any clothes and running outside naked would be kind of awkward.

We had a small earthquake last summer at like 5AM or something. It was only a 3.something.

[mechana2015]

I got caught in the shower once during an earthquake. Probably the must frustrating and potentially awkward situation ever, especially since it was in a hotel with my parents.

[Yuki-Anne]

Okay, I don't want to seem lacking in compassion, because earthquakes are scary regardless of magnitude. I'm sorry you guys had to experience something so frightening, and I hope it wakes up the east coast (and the rest of America) and they do a better job at reinforcing buildings for earthquakes. I hope there aren't any more.

But I've seen articles that call it "devastating" and show pictures of people's tipped over yogurt cups and collapsed cd shelves and whatnot. Again, I'm sorry you're frightened, but suck it up, America. You don't get to use the word "devastating" until at least one person loses their home.

...also, I'm afraid if I tell my earthquake stories it'll sound like I'm trying to one-up you guys, which I'm definitely not. So I'll just say again that yes, earthquakes are scary, and I'm definitely not lacking in empathy for you guys or thinking that you're wimps or anything because you're scared. I remember when 2 pointers used to scare me.

[Cognitive Gear]

Okay, I don't want to seem lacking in compassion, because earthquakes are scary regardless of magnitude. I'm sorry you guys had to experience something so frightening, and I hope it wakes up the east coast (and the rest of America) and they do a better job at reinforcing buildings for earthquakes. I hope there aren't any more.

But I've seen articles that call it "devastating" and show pictures of people's tipped over yogurt cups and collapsed cd shelves and whatnot. Again, I'm sorry you're frightened, but suck it up, America. You don't get to use the word "devastating" until at least one person loses their home.

...also, I'm afraid if I tell my earthquake stories it'll sound like I'm trying to one-up you guys, which I'm definitely not. So I'll just say again that yes, earthquakes are scary, and I'm definitely not lacking in empathy for you guys or thinking that you're wimps or anything because you're scared. I remember when 2 pointers used to scare me.

Oh wow, the media is apparently really playing this up. The only place I have seen the words Earthquake Devastation is here.