Earthquake!

Brenna · Post by **Brenna** » Tue August 23rd, 2011, 6:54 pm

So how many people felt the earthquake today? Hope everyone is ok. Our office building shook and people came out of their offices to stand in the hallway, but nothing was damaged.

SonjaMarie · Post by **SonjaMarie** » Tue August 23rd, 2011, 6:56 pm

[quote=""Brenna""]So how many people felt the earthquake today? Hope everyone is ok. Our office building shook and people came out of their offices to stand in the hallway, but nothing was damaged.[/quote]

Are there many members here from that area? Of course being where I am, I didn't feel a thing.

Glad you're safe!

SM

Misfit · Post by **Misfit** » Tue August 23rd, 2011, 7:22 pm

I can be in a vacuum here at work and hadn't heard about it. Last big tumbler we had on this side of the country was in 2001. Hope everyone is OK.

LoveHistory · Post by **LoveHistory** » Tue August 23rd, 2011, 7:38 pm

It was a 5.9 centered in Virginia. Felt as far away as New York according to reports.

I have friends and relatives in Pennsylvania who felt it. My sister was a little freaked out when her apartment building started swaying.

There was also a 5.3 in Colorado last night. No damage or injuries reported so far but it was felt in Kansas and New Mexico.

boswellbaxter · Post by **boswellbaxter** » Tue August 23rd, 2011, 9:01 pm

I felt a jarring feeling here. I thought I was imagining things until my husband called.

Susan · Post by **Susan** » Tue August 23rd, 2011, 9:39 pm

I was at a workshop for school and we definitely felt it here in New Jersey. My son was in a government building across the street from the White House and REALLY felt it. The building he was in was evacuated.

Divia · Post by **Divia** » Tue August 23rd, 2011, 10:23 pm

This is me sitting on the sofa trying to write.

I think I'm moving. No. I can't be. I think I'm dizzy. Am I moving?

I'll be honest I actually thought I was losing my mind.

Earthquakes are so rare here that i couldn't be feeling one.

DianeL · Post by **DianeL** » Tue August 23rd, 2011, 11:30 pm

The epicenter was only several miles from me, and we really shook, but the general area appears to be fine. We didn't even evacuate at work (formally, anyway - tons of folks toddled off with their laptops, though; any excuse!), BUT the tremor did last unusually long for central VA. We've had quakes here before, but they tend to consist of one single BOOM moment, which you can actually miss even if it's big. This was a sustained, clearly wavy, shake, and things did fall, but the essential upshot appears to be more broken pottery and jangled nerves than anything else.

Though it was a pretty good magnitude for this area at 5.8, the origin was also 3.7 miles beneath the surface, so the effect was very queer, and not sharp as it were.

I came home to a Siddy-pup VERY offended that yet again I had left her ALONE to suffer death, and a whole lot of "shifted during the flight" sorts of stuff in my cupboards etc. - but, remarkably, nothing I have found yet appears to have been damaged, nor anything fallen. Which, considering how much time and money I spent in antique stores wandering home with new pieces of beautiful glass just this past weekend (of COURSE), is pretty amazing!

It was in fact scarier after it passed and realization set in than during -when it was almost comical in some ways. Afterward, hearing one of my coworkers calling his scared-sounding kids, and being so smart, and so reassuring, and so generous with them and calm, was really affecting. They sounded stark terrified, and he was just wonderful for them.

I am okay and my dog is milkin' it. And I am encouraging her to. Good old girl.

Divia · Post by **Divia** » Wed August 24th, 2011, 12:34 am

I'm glad you are OK

Dogs always milk it, or mine does anyway

And the theory that animals feel stuff first is totally out in my household because my dog and cat slept through it.

princess garnet · Post by **princess garnet** » Wed August 24th, 2011, 1:13 am

I was on the reference desk when it hit. One young lady patron came up and hugged me. Once it calmed, I announced to everyone in the reading room to evacuate the building and not to panic. One of our security officers re-enforced the evacuation notice.
Once we were outside on the street, it was crowds of people from surrounding office buildings on the sidewalks. Cars kept going as if nothing had happened.
I held off leaving the city until early evening because it was too much gridlock.