Earthquake rattles Washington area

All Fairfax County Public Schools activities were canceled for the evening, although those schools that house polling places for the Virginia primary elections will remain open until the polls close, officials said.

August 23, 2011, Washington Post -- (Virginia; National) Earthquake rattles Washington area. A 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck the Washington D.C. area August 23, shaking buildings and prompting office workers to pour into the streets of the U.S. Capital.

The earthquake’s epicenter was 9 miles south of Mineral, Virginia, and 87 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). At 2.8 magnitude aftershock was reported at 2:46 p.m. Employees fled the U.S. Capitol, and the House and Senate office buildings were evacuated. Most members of Congress were back in their home districts for the August recess.

The Union Station complex of train and bus terminals and shops and restaurants was also evacuated. All buildings of the Smithsonian Institution, including Washington’s major museums, closed for the day. The quake caused major transportation tie-ups, with trains running slowly because of track inspections and massive traffic jams reported in parts of the region.

All Fairfax County Public Schools activities were canceled for the evening, although those schools that house polling places for the Virginia primary elections will remain open until the polls close, officials said.

The quake shook the foundations of the Pentagon, which was temporarily evacuated. A Congressional staffer reported that a portion of a building collapsed on the 300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue in Southeast. At the National Cathedral, the tip of a spire crashed down onto the steps on Pilgrim Road. A U.S. Park Police helicopter did a “preliminary survey” of Washington’s monuments by air and did not find any ”obvious damage,” a spokesman said. D.C. Fire officials were investigating reports of significant cracks in buildings at the Ecuadoran Embassy and Bell Multicultural School, a spokesman said.

According to federal officials, two nuclear reactors were taken offline near the quake epicenter, but there were no initial reports of damage. In New York City, buildings shook briefly. Government buildings in the city, including city hall, were evacuated.

Early reports on the USGS Web site indicated the quake was felt from New York City to Charlotte, North Carolina, and as far west as Cleveland, Ohio.

Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/earthquake-rattles-washington-area/2011/08/23/gIQATMOGZJ_story.html

Source: DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report 24 August 2011