August 23, 2011 | by Diane Mallek | Breaking News When you think of areas prone to earthquakes in the United States, you think of California–certainly not Washington, D.C. In the most bizarre news of the day, we learn that an earthquake topping 5 on the Richter scale has rocked the east coast. Get more on the Washington DC earthquake after the jump!
Earthquakes rarely hit places like Washington, D.C. and if they do they don’t measure 5.9 on the Richter scale! The earthquake that shook our nation’s capital surprised everyone today and aftershocks are expected for the next couple of hours.
The epicenter of the earthquake that hit near Washington, D.C. around 2 PM EST was located in Mineral, Virginia and was felt as far away as Philadelphia, New York City and even in New Hampshire!
For those in the nation’s capital, shaking was felt for about 30 seconds and major buildings were evacuated as a precaution. What did the Washington earthquake feel like? Andre Smith-Pugh, a 25-year-old carpentry worker, was up above the Eisenhower Executive Office Building when the earthquake hit, he told the NY Times:
"It felt like the scaffolding was coming down. It felt like a big truck slammed into the side of the building right here at the White House."Read here
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