WASHINGTON | a 5.9 magnitude earthquake centered northwest ofRichmond, Va., shook much of Washington, D.C., and was felt as farnorth as Rhode Island, New York City and Martha’s Vineyard, Mass.,where President Barack Obama is vacationing.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was half a miledeep. Shaking was felt at the White House and all over the EastCoast, as far south as Chapel Hill, N.C. parts of the Pentagon,White House and Capitol were evacuated. there were no immediatereports of injuries.
The quake was centered near Louisa, Va., in Louisa County, whichis northwest of Richmond and south of Washington.
Obama and many of the nation’s leaders were out of town onAugust vacation when the quake struck at 1:51 p.m. EDT. the shakingwas felt on the Martha’s Vineyard golf course as Obama was juststarting a round.
The East Coast gets earthquakes, but usually smaller ones and isless prepared than California or Alaska for shaking.
At Reagan National Airport outside Washington, ceiling tilesfell during a few seconds of shaking. Authorities announced it wasan earthquake and all flights were put on hold.
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