An earthquake struck the Washington D.C. area this afternoon at around 1:51pm EDT. This was the strongest earthquake experienced in this area in the past 67 years, coming in at a 5.8 magnitude. With the epicenter of the quake located in Louisa, Virginia,as reported by the Huffington Post, the quake was felt in New York, and the New England States.
No injuries from this quake have been reported, but it did cause enough concern for parts of the White House, Pentagon, and the Capitol to be evacuated as a safety precaution. Damage did occur to the Washington national Cathedral, where three pinnacles were damaged, and the center tower appears to be leaning somewhat. The Washington Post reports that the National Park District closed down the Washington Monument to inspect for damages after the quake.
Several of the areas affected by the earthquake reportedly also felt the aftershocks later on. It has been quite an eventful week with natural disasters, with Hurricane Irene brewing and now this earthquake.Let’s keep our fingers crossed that no more damage is done and that no lives are lost.