An earthquake shook the New York City (NYC) metropolitan area Friday morning, the US Geological Survey said, with residents reporting they felt rumbling across the northeast part of the country.
The agency reported a quake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.7, centered near Lebanon, New Jersey, or about 45 miles west of New York City and 50 miles north of Philadelphia. In a post on X, NYC Emergency Management, said, “If you are in danger, please dial 911. To report non-emergency issues please call 311. Communicate your status so others know you’re okay. Text messages are more likely to go through when phone lines are busy. Check on your neighbors if safe to do so.”
If you are in danger, please dial 911. To report non-emergency issues please call 311. Communicate your status so others know you’re okay. Text messages are more likely to go through when phone lines are busy. Check on your neighbors if safe to do so.Please follow @NotifyNYC. https://t.co/ZX7yBXi0CC
— NYC Emergency Management (@nycemergencymgt) April 5, 2024
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 building shaking. In an apartment house in Manhattan’s East Village, a resident from more earthquake-prone California calmed nervous neighbours. A UN Security Council hearing on the Middle East was briefly interrupted by the tremors felt in New York.
Meanwhile, people in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Connecticut and other areas of the East Coast unaccustomed to earthquakes also reported feeling the ground shake. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul posted on X that the quake was felt throughout the state. “A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit west of Manhattan and has been felt throughout New York,” Hochul said. “My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day,” she said.
A 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit west of Manhattan and has been felt throughout New York.My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day.
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) April 5, 2024
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 epicenter was in Virginia. That earthquake left cracks in the Washington Monument, spurred the evacuation of the White House and Capitol and rattled New Yorkers.
(With agency inputs)
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