[Multiple updates below.] 2:02 p.m. EST: A 5.8 earthquake in eastern Virginia has made itself felt in the Tri-State. Numerous people in New York and New Jersey reported several seconds of shaking just before 2 p.m.
Matzav.com has heard from frum residents in Flatbush, Boro Park, Williamsburg and Lakewood who all felt the tremors of the earthquake.
The earthquake rattled parts of New York and New Jersey, causing buildings to sway in cities, towns and streets across the region.
The earthquake was also felt in Washington and North Carolina.
The epicenter of the quake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, is near Richmond, Virginia.
We will have more on this story as information becomes available.
Update, 2:16 p.m.: In New York City, City Hall and the federal courthouse were evacuated.
Update, 2:27 p.m.: According the United States Geological Survey, the 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit at 1:51 p.m., EST. The epicenter was northwest of Richmond, Va., about halfway to Charlottesville.
Update, 2:38 p.m.: The earthquake forced evacuations of all the monuments on the National Mall in Washington and rattled nerves from Georgia to Martha’s Vineyard, the Massachusetts island where President Barack Obama is vacationing. No injuries were immediately reported.
Update, 2:49 p.m.: The U.S. Geological Survey now says the earthquake was half a mile deep and centered near Louisa, Va., about 40 miles northwest of Richmond. 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.
Update, 2:58 p.m.: Two nuclear reactors at the North Anna Power Station in the same county as the epicenter were automatically taken off line by safety systems around the time of the earthquake.
The Dominion-operated power plant is being run off of four emergency diesel generators, which are supplying power for critical safety equipment. The agency was not immediately aware of any damage at nuclear power plants in the Southeast.
Update, 3:05 p.m.: The shaking was felt on the Martha’s Vineyard golf course as Obama was just starting a round.
At the Pentagon in northern Virginia, a low rumbling built and built to the point that the building was shaking. People ran into the corridors of the government’s biggest building and as the shaking continued there were shouts of “Evacuate! Evacuate!”
The U.S. Park Service evacuated and closed all National Mall monuments and memorials. At Reagan National Airport outside Washington, ceiling tiles fell during a few seconds of shaking. Authorities announced it was an earthquake and all flights were put on hold.
Update, 3:15 p.m.: In New York, the 26-story federal courthouse in lower Manhattan actually began swaying and hundreds of people were seen leaving the building. Court officers weren’t letting people back in.
Update, 3:29 p.m.: In Charleston, W.Va., hundreds of workers left the state Capitol building and employees at other downtown office buildings were asked to leave temporarily.
In Ohio, where office buildings swayed in Columbus and Cincinnati and the press box at the Cleveland Indians’ Progressive Field shook. At least one building near the Statehouse was evacuated in downtown Columbus.
In downtown Baltimore, the quake sent office workers into the streets, where lamp posts swayed slightly as they called family and friends to check in.
{Noam Amdurski-Matzav.com Newscenter}
Felt it here
Felt it in flatbush. Called 311, they knew nothing about it
Brooklyn was “shukkeling”!!!
wow it was real
It could be the birth pangs of mashiach
i saw my chair shaking back and forth i thought i was dreaming untill i confirmed it with others and i saw that this was for real
I felt it!
felt it in baltimore
Poor Obama, trouble follows him wherever he goes, he could’nt finish his round of golf
and here I thought that it was the weed
I felt it out here I Toronto it’s crazy
its a message from hakodosh boruch hu its is time to do tshuvah ellul is right around the corner………
felt it in lakewood
This is clearly Hashem showing his anger against the Toieva bill that passed in New York! But of course you idiot’s will vote for Weprin anyway!
didnt feel it in la, but read about it in la
monsey did not feel it
#14, Did Hashem appear to you in a dream and give you heads up?
did someone tell Obama yet?
Chandelier still swinging in far rockaway
We felt in in the Main Line and in Philadelphia.
Obama was starting a round of golf when he felt the earth shake. He said,” The ground is shaking. Whatever… Fore!”
I felt it quite strong in Edison NJ. I couldnt believe I was witnessing this happening.
It felt like the floor moving back and forth in a fun house. Let’s pray it is not a foreshock. Among many reasons for this, one of them has to be to clear out Obamas’ stuff from the White House.
didnt feel it in Israel but hope that everyone is safe and sound…..
The medrash says that earthquakes come because of toeiva. This is Hashem’s warning to us.
#14 & #25 are you saying hashem confused ny with Virginia?
Felt it in Philly.
NU NU.
we were going to use it as a color war breakout because our building shook!
I was standing in a Store in Boro Park/Yossies, New utrect and 53rd street, and suddenly I felt a shake. I thought something is wrong with me,I’m fainting or somthing. Then again, another shake. I was wondering my no one else is saying anything, then suddely everyone recated at the same time and just dodged out of the store.
I had just sat down in the driver’s seat of my car, when I felt my car gently rocking back and forth and I saw the hood of the car undulating. I thought I was going crazy or hallucinating. I thought maybe I’m dizzy, but, I felt fine. Then I thought maybe it’s an earthquake ha ha, like I didn’t really think so. I thought maybe something is wrong with my car, but, it wasn’t even running. When I drove away everything was fine so I thought I imagined it. When I got home I heard it on the news.
We did feel it in Monsey.
Knocked me right off the pot……..The lid slammed on my head.
This must be global warming. What else? Where are you Gore when we need you????
start teshuva now & we will not need these shaking wake-up calls coming from Hashem
DONT WAIT UNTIL AFTER TRAGEDY STRIKES CV we have seen enough already, BUT is anyone ready to confess to hashem & do teshuva? when in reality we all need to do teshuva
BOTTOM LINE:we leave hashem with no choice but to do these tragic events