New York – An earthquake shook the densely populated New York City metropolitan area on Friday morning (Apr. 5), the US Geological Survey said, with residents across the Northeast reporting rumbling in a region where people are unaccustomed to feeling the ground move.
The agency reported a quake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8, centred near Lebanon, New Jersey, or about 72km (45 miles) west of New York City and 80km (50 miles) north of Philadelphia. USGS figures indicated that the quake might have been felt by more than 42 million people.
The Fire Department of New York said there were no initial reports of damage. New York Mayor Eric Adams had been briefed on the quake, his spokesperson Fabien Levy said, adding, “While we do not have any reports of major impacts at this time, we’re still assessing the impact.”
In midtown Manhattan, the usual cacophony of traffic grew louder as motorists blared their horns on momentarily shuddering streets. Some Brooklyn residents heard a booming sound and their buildings shaking. In an apartment house in Manhattan’s East Village, a resident from more earthquake-prone California calmed nervous neighbours.
At a coffee shop in lower Manhattan, customers buzzed over the unexpected earthquake, which rattled dishware and shook the concrete counter. “I noticed the door trembling on its frame,” said India Hays, a barista. “I thought surely there couldn’t be an earthquake here.”
People in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Connecticut and other areas of the Northeast reported shaking. Tremors lasting for several seconds were felt over 321km (200 miles) away near the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul posted on X that the quake was felt throughout the state. “My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day,” Hochul said.
The shaking stirred memories of the Aug. 23, 2011, earthquake that jolted tens of millions of people from Georgia to Canada. Registering magnitude 5.8, it was the strongest quake to hit the East Coast since World War II. The epicentre was in Virginia.
That earthquake left cracks in the Washington Monument, spurred the evacuation of the White House and Capitol and rattled New Yorkers three weeks before the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
CAPTION:
The skyline of midtown Manhattan is visible from a room at the Millenium Hilton New York Hotel in New York City on Friday, September 22, 2023. Photo: AP/Ted Shaffrey and published by Yahoo!News
(Associated Press journalists around the country contributed to this report, including Jake Offenhartz in New York City, Seth Borenstein in Washington, Mark Scolforo in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut.)
Also read:
A strong earthquake shakes Taiwan, damaging buildings and causing a tsunami
Seven drones shot down over Myanmar capital: Junta
US, Filipino air forces holding joint air exercise over South China Sea
Pita: Ready to walk away like a winner, no regrets about being in the opposition
Navy might get both submarine and frigate next fiscal year: Suthin
Axe-wielding foreigner arrested for overstaying over 500 days
