Tremors along east coast
- Thread starter daimion
- Start date
We are used to it here. I was very close to the epicenter of both the Sylmar quake and the Northridge quake.
The next few months will probably generate some aftershocks, and they can be as large or larger than the first quake.
Here are some very important things to do if you're near the epicenter:
- Take a few moments and bolt things to the wall that can fall over and hurt someone, such as entertainment centers, any heavy stand up items such as mirrors, china cabinets, armoires or any large heavy furniture. I use lag bolts screwed into studs as anchors, then a strong tie wire screwed to the back of the furniture with screws. My home made it through the large Northridge quake 5 miles from the epicenter and my strapping all help up.
- water healters should be secured high and low with heavy plumbing straps, wrapped around the tank and screwed to the wall studs.
- remove or secure paintings and mirrors and heavy headboards that are over a bed. They can injure you if you're sleeping and a quake hits.
- Check children's furniture and tall furniture so that it can't fall over if the drawers all slide out all at once.
- install a seismic valve on your gas supply. It will shut off gas to the house when an eathquake hits. A lot of damage occurs because gas lines will get pulled out by heavy appliances and gas will leak into your house until it ignites by a pilot or light switch. In Northridge, we lost a lot of apartments, condos and homes to fires caused by gas line breakage.
- keep a flashlight and tennis shoes by your bedside. Have a fire extinguisher handy somewhere in the house. The shoes are to prevent injury from glass and debris when you walk after an earthquake.
- after a quake, the street lights might stop working. If you have to drive, treat every intersection as a four way stop sign.
Chris
The next few months will probably generate some aftershocks, and they can be as large or larger than the first quake.
Here are some very important things to do if you're near the epicenter:
- Take a few moments and bolt things to the wall that can fall over and hurt someone, such as entertainment centers, any heavy stand up items such as mirrors, china cabinets, armoires or any large heavy furniture. I use lag bolts screwed into studs as anchors, then a strong tie wire screwed to the back of the furniture with screws. My home made it through the large Northridge quake 5 miles from the epicenter and my strapping all help up.
- water healters should be secured high and low with heavy plumbing straps, wrapped around the tank and screwed to the wall studs.
- remove or secure paintings and mirrors and heavy headboards that are over a bed. They can injure you if you're sleeping and a quake hits.
- Check children's furniture and tall furniture so that it can't fall over if the drawers all slide out all at once.
- install a seismic valve on your gas supply. It will shut off gas to the house when an eathquake hits. A lot of damage occurs because gas lines will get pulled out by heavy appliances and gas will leak into your house until it ignites by a pilot or light switch. In Northridge, we lost a lot of apartments, condos and homes to fires caused by gas line breakage.
- keep a flashlight and tennis shoes by your bedside. Have a fire extinguisher handy somewhere in the house. The shoes are to prevent injury from glass and debris when you walk after an earthquake.
- after a quake, the street lights might stop working. If you have to drive, treat every intersection as a four way stop sign.
Chris
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I felt it here in the Hampton Roads area of VA. To me it was just a baby tremor, but I'm sure to people that have never experienced one, it was probably very scary!
Being from Colombia, South America the earthquakes there definitely command your attention. We had one a few years back that destroyed a city. Not part of a city, or most of the city, but the whole city! All buildings crumbled to the ground. The houses that weren't completely destroyed, were finished off by the landslides created by the quake!
I suppose the one in San Francisco was the most devastating one that I've heard of happening in the US.
They're not something to take lightly. I'm happy to hear there were no injuries from this one. Although it did knock a pen off of my desk!
Being from Colombia, South America the earthquakes there definitely command your attention. We had one a few years back that destroyed a city. Not part of a city, or most of the city, but the whole city! All buildings crumbled to the ground. The houses that weren't completely destroyed, were finished off by the landslides created by the quake!
I suppose the one in San Francisco was the most devastating one that I've heard of happening in the US.
They're not something to take lightly. I'm happy to hear there were no injuries from this one. Although it did knock a pen off of my desk!
Felt it in IL a bit, and was glad to hear the news that it wasn't the New Madrid causing the shaking....if that one ever decides to throw a BIG one - WATCH OUT!
After seeing news reports and all later this evening, it was good to hear that injuries and damages were really pretty minimal. Scary stuff when things east of the Rockies shake, cuz they shake for a LONG ways.
After seeing news reports and all later this evening, it was good to hear that injuries and damages were really pretty minimal. Scary stuff when things east of the Rockies shake, cuz they shake for a LONG ways.
Its probably not the best idea to get under a pool table in a quake. I would want to be under something with a metal frame, that isn't super heavy.
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CT got to experience it, as well. New Haven made the NBC Nightly news - things got very shaky there.
My small home town had the main fire dept rolling back and forth according to the chief and it was reported that people in the small downtown shops were all coming outside wondering what had happened.
While it was happening, apparently all around me, I felt nothing.
Very happy to see that there was pretty much no appreciable damage or injuries as a result of this monumental (for us Easties) event.
Don't mess with Mother Nature! :thumbup:
Best,
Brian kc
My small home town had the main fire dept rolling back and forth according to the chief and it was reported that people in the small downtown shops were all coming outside wondering what had happened.
While it was happening, apparently all around me, I felt nothing.
Very happy to see that there was pretty much no appreciable damage or injuries as a result of this monumental (for us Easties) event.
Don't mess with Mother Nature! :thumbup:
Best,
Brian kc
I was working on the top floor (7th floor) the Smithsonian Natural History Museum.
The very first thing I noticed was a rumbling sound like intense wind blowing the building immediately followed by pretty violent shaking for two intervals and then strong swaying for at least 30 seconds. Some lights fell from the ceiling and containers were knocked off tables.
Given how much the building moved, they are going to have to check it out carefully to make sure nothing's been compromised.
The very first thing I noticed was a rumbling sound like intense wind blowing the building immediately followed by pretty violent shaking for two intervals and then strong swaying for at least 30 seconds. Some lights fell from the ceiling and containers were knocked off tables.
Given how much the building moved, they are going to have to check it out carefully to make sure nothing's been compromised.
im in huntington wv n i felt it
Oh, man, that really sucks. I hope everything is okay in the Smithsonian. That would be tragic if they lost some of those treasures.
P.G. County schools are closed today while officials ensure the buildings are sound.
My girlfriend works in the Capitol building, and they evacuated. I hope the Capitol is okay, too. There are so many antiques in there and murals, paintings, marble floors, et cetera.
Glad you're okay, Steve! :smile:
Chris, thank you for this advice. I just printed it out, and I'm going to send it to my friends. The gas line breakage could be fatal.
A friend of mine is a journalist in DC, and he covers the nuclear power industry...
Here's what he reported:
"The North Anna nuclear power plant in Louisa, Virginia -- pretty close to the epicenter -- was shut down manually after the quake, says Dominion. the plant lost offsite power, but all 4 emergency diesel generators started as designed, the utility says. no word on the Surry plant, but that one's further from the epicenter. No word of problems at other nuclear plants in the region affected by the quake, says the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. and thank God they don't get tsunamis in Virginia!"
As I pointed out to him, now we get to track a hurricane, though...
Here's what he reported:
"The North Anna nuclear power plant in Louisa, Virginia -- pretty close to the epicenter -- was shut down manually after the quake, says Dominion. the plant lost offsite power, but all 4 emergency diesel generators started as designed, the utility says. no word on the Surry plant, but that one's further from the epicenter. No word of problems at other nuclear plants in the region affected by the quake, says the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. and thank God they don't get tsunamis in Virginia!"
As I pointed out to him, now we get to track a hurricane, though...
Thank goodness the nuclear plants didn't erupt, like what happened in Japan.
I just read that the Washington Monument cracked. What a shame. That's a very legendary tourist site in D.C. and will probably be closed down for a long time now until they get it fixed.
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Pretty nice shaker in Martinsburg, WV. Was in the kitchen talking to the wife when the whole house started shaking. Pictures rattled on the wall. Woke the kids up from their naps. Shook for a good while too. All is well though.
Josh
Josh
On Andrews AFB (DC Area) I was composing and email when I felt a small shaking. I said, to no one in particular, "Wow, that was a small earthquake." My co-worker replied w/ a chuckle of disbelief, "That wasn't an earthquake." This was immediately followed by, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM...the building shook, ceiling tiles were bouncing like crazy. I thought a Transformer was running across the roof. Another co-worker stood up and screamed, "It's an earthquake! Get out!" Everyone jumped up and ran for the stairs. Now I know we should have covered up til' the shaking stopped. Thankfully nobody was hurt. Wouldn't care to go through another one!
Absolutely not true.
The epicenter, it has now been confirmed, was at the Kardashian honeymoon suite.
:grin: Best,
Brian kc