4.5 Magnitude Aftershock Rattles Maryland
BALTIMORE (WJZ)—Many were sleeping when a powerful 4.5 magnitude aftershock shook the ground overnight.
Mike Hellgren reports from Baltimore's Washington Monument, which was inspected Thursday morning.
Following a rare earthquake and five aftershocks--the most powerful of them just after 1 a.m. on Thursday--a team of engineers toured the Washington Monument, one of the city's most iconic structures that dates back to 1829.
"We're looking for cracks, any debris that falls off of the building, and broken windows or if the door jambs have been adjusted," said Dennis Chojnowski, Baltimore City engineer.
Baltimore's director of general services Ted Atwood, says they found nothing out of the ordinary.
"The cracks that are there are the cracks that were there before the earthquake," Atwood said.
"They're generally not as big in intensity as the original earthquake, and while they may occur, they may be low enough we may not even notice them," said Jeffrey P. Halka, Maryland Geological Survey director.
But inspectors say safety is the priority. They looked at every inch of the Washington Monument and many other buildings around Baltimore City.
"Whoever built it, they knew what they were doing. It's lasted all these years," Chojnowski said.
And while it was not nearly as powerful as the earthquake Tuesday, the pre-dawn aftershock did put many on edge.
"I was in bed asleep, and I felt my bed start to shake and vibrate," said Subrena Bryant, who felt the aftershock in Randallstown. "We're preparing now for Hurricane Irene, so it's like one natural disaster after another, so I'm very scared."
This was the most powerful earthquake to hit our area since World War II.
The aftershock was centered near Mineral, Va. It's more than 150 miles from Baltimore.
