Earthquake Felt Across New England
BOSTON (CBS) - A 5.8 magnitude earthquake occurred just before 2 p.m. Tuesday, centered near Richmond, Virginia.
It was felt all the way up the East Coast including New England.
"I live in Hampton, NH and just felt the earthquake around 15 minutes ago. Our top floor is the fourth and my bed, dresser mirror and laps were shaking. Just wanted to let you know it was felt further than Boston," Pamela Van Oss said in an email to WBZ-TV.
Several buildings in downtown Boston were evacuated as a precaution.
WBZ-TV's Diana Perez reports from the Weston Observatory:
There are no reports of any serious injuries or damage.
Governor Deval Patrick on today's earthquake in Virginia:
"The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency has been working throughout the afternoon with local cities and towns and law enforcement across the Commonwealth to verify any confirmed reports of damage. At this stage, it would appear that the Commonwealth has been spared any serious consequences from the Virginia earthquake. We will continue our efforts to ensure that our cities and towns are safe and do not require additional assistance from the state. As always, I would like to thank MEMA and our first responders across the state for their quick response."
Here is a statement from State Police spokesman David Procopio:
"The Massachusetts State Police Communications Section has fielded several dozen calls from members of the public in the wake of the earthquake that hit the eastern seaboard about a half hour ago. We have received NO reports of injuries or significant structural damage from any of the emergency callers. Our dispatchers are advising callers about the earthquake, which was centered in Virginia, and checking to ensure they are not injured. We will update further if we receive reports of any injuries or structural damage.
Numerous employees in State Police General Headquarters in Framingham felt the tremors. Some employees felt more comfortable exiting the building and did so, but there was no official evacuation."
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Doug Cope reports
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The rumbling was also felt at Logan Airport.
"In the city we have staff out there, structural engineers, other people are checking this airport from one end to the other, " Logan Airport spokesman Phil Orlandella told WBZ NewsRadio 1030.
"Right now the airport itself is open and operational, but we're being affected by three or four other airports that have either shut down or evacuated their terminals."
Logan never closed because of the quake, but other east coast airports like Reagan National in Washington and JFK Airport in New York did shut down. As a result, nine international flights were diverted to Boston.
In 1755 a 6.0 magnitude earthquake hit Cape Ann and in 2010, a 5.0 earthquake hit Ottawa Canada and was felt in the region. On average, an earthquake is felt in Boston every three to five years.
WBZ Chief Meteorologist Todd Gutner has more on the quake
CBS Radio News reporter Peter Maer told WBZ he felt the tremors on Martha's Vineyard, where President Obama was playing golf at the time of the earthquake.
Here are some of the reactions sent to CBS Boston on Twitter moments after the tremors:
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