US counts cost after quake hits East Coast
Source: Agencies |
August 25, 2011, Thursday
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Print Edition
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OFFICE buildings, schools and towering landmarks were being inspected yesterday for hidden structural flaws following a rare earthquake on the East Coast of the United States.
Public schools and a handful of government buildings in Washington DC remained closed for further assessment, and engineers were taking a closer look at cracks in the Washington Monument and broken capstones at the National Cathedral.
Some residents in the suburbs were staying in shelters because of structural concerns at apartment buildings.
Further south, the 5.8-magnitude quake shattered windows and wrecked buildings near its Virginia epicenter. There were no deaths or serious injuries.
The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said the quake serves as a reminder for residents to be prepared.
"We talk about hurricanes this time of year, but we forget that, A, earthquakes do not have a season and, B, they are not just a western hazard," agency administrator Craig Fugate said yesterday.
When the quake struck, many feared terrorism in New York and Washington - where nerves are raw as the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks approaches. The quake sent many pouring from high-rises such as the Empire State Building.
"I ran down all 60 flights," accounting office worker Caitlin Trupiano said. "I was not waiting for the elevator."
Chris Kardian, working in his garage in suburban Richmond, not far from the epicenter, opted for the more prosaic and plausible. "I just thought the children were running around and being really loud," he said.
The most powerful earthquake to strike the East Coast in 67 years shook buildings and jarred as many as 12 million people.
The US Geological Survey said it was centered 64 kilometers northwest of Richmond, and it has produced at least four aftershocks ranging in magnitude from 2.2 to 4.2.
The US Park Service evacuated and closed all monuments and memorials along the National Mall.
The Pentagon, the White House, the Capitol and federal agencies in and around Washington DC were evacuated. Roads out of the city were clogged with commuters headed home.
News of the quake seemed to travel faster than the temblor itself.
A woman in New York ended a phone call with someone in Virginia and announced to her colleagues there had been an earthquake, just seconds before the shockwaves actually reached her office.
The scope of the damage - or lack of it - also quickly became clear on social networks. Instead of collapsed freeways, people posted images of toppled lawn chairs and yogurt cups, and picture frames askew on walls.
On Facebook, people posted jokes such as "S&P has downgraded earthquake to a 2.0," a swipe at the rating agency that recently lowered the federal government's creditworthiness.
A 5.8-magnitude quake releases as much energy as almost 8 kilotons of TNT, about half the power of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II.
Those on the West Coast, who are used to Earth moving, could not help taking a jab or two. "All this excitement over a 5.8 quake? Come on East Coast, we have those for breakfast out here," wrote Dennis Miller, a lifelong California resident whose home sits on a fault line.
Public schools and a handful of government buildings in Washington DC remained closed for further assessment, and engineers were taking a closer look at cracks in the Washington Monument and broken capstones at the National Cathedral.
Some residents in the suburbs were staying in shelters because of structural concerns at apartment buildings.
Further south, the 5.8-magnitude quake shattered windows and wrecked buildings near its Virginia epicenter. There were no deaths or serious injuries.
The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said the quake serves as a reminder for residents to be prepared.
"We talk about hurricanes this time of year, but we forget that, A, earthquakes do not have a season and, B, they are not just a western hazard," agency administrator Craig Fugate said yesterday.
When the quake struck, many feared terrorism in New York and Washington - where nerves are raw as the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks approaches. The quake sent many pouring from high-rises such as the Empire State Building.
"I ran down all 60 flights," accounting office worker Caitlin Trupiano said. "I was not waiting for the elevator."
Chris Kardian, working in his garage in suburban Richmond, not far from the epicenter, opted for the more prosaic and plausible. "I just thought the children were running around and being really loud," he said.
The most powerful earthquake to strike the East Coast in 67 years shook buildings and jarred as many as 12 million people.
The US Geological Survey said it was centered 64 kilometers northwest of Richmond, and it has produced at least four aftershocks ranging in magnitude from 2.2 to 4.2.
The US Park Service evacuated and closed all monuments and memorials along the National Mall.
The Pentagon, the White House, the Capitol and federal agencies in and around Washington DC were evacuated. Roads out of the city were clogged with commuters headed home.
News of the quake seemed to travel faster than the temblor itself.
A woman in New York ended a phone call with someone in Virginia and announced to her colleagues there had been an earthquake, just seconds before the shockwaves actually reached her office.
The scope of the damage - or lack of it - also quickly became clear on social networks. Instead of collapsed freeways, people posted images of toppled lawn chairs and yogurt cups, and picture frames askew on walls.
On Facebook, people posted jokes such as "S&P has downgraded earthquake to a 2.0," a swipe at the rating agency that recently lowered the federal government's creditworthiness.
A 5.8-magnitude quake releases as much energy as almost 8 kilotons of TNT, about half the power of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II.
Those on the West Coast, who are used to Earth moving, could not help taking a jab or two. "All this excitement over a 5.8 quake? Come on East Coast, we have those for breakfast out here," wrote Dennis Miller, a lifelong California resident whose home sits on a fault line.
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