August 23rd, 2011
04:06 PM ET

Earthquake shuts down Virginia nuclear plant

An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.9 struck Tuesday afternoon near Washington, D.C., the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The epicenter was in Mineral, Virginia. The quake was four miles deep, according to the USGS. Did you feel it? Send CNN an iReport.

To get complete coverage and all the latest updates, click on CNN's main story here. View a CNN Open Story about the quake. CNN Open Story combines iReports with reports from CNNers across the globe on a map and timeline.

Update 3:36 p.m. ET: Terminal A at Washington Reagan National Airport has been evacuated because of an odor of gas, airport spokeswoman Courtney Mickalonis said. Initial sweeps of the building showed no major damage from the earthquake.

Light structural damage has been reported in Culpepper and Orange counties in Virginia, said Laura Southard of the state Emergency Operations Center. She said there have been no reports of injuries in Virginia.

Update 3:28 p.m. ET: The White House and adjacent buildings evacuated as a precaution following the earthquake have been given the all-clear, the U.S. Secret Service said. The FBI and Justice Department have also reopened evacuated buildings.

Update 3:25 p.m. ET: East Coast residents should be prepared to feel aftershocks from Tuesday's earthquake, a U.S. Geological Survey official said.

Update 3:22 p.m. ET: The North Anna nuclear power plant, located 20 miles from the epicenter, is shut down and in a safe condition, a company official and the Louisa County public information office report. There has been no release of nuclear material, Louisa County spokeswoman Amanda Reidelbach said.

Update 3:04 p.m. ET: All national monuments and parks in Washington are "stable but closed" following Tuesday's earthquake, a United States Park Police spokesman Sgt. David Schlosser said. A couple of minor injuries and some minor structural damage have been reported in Washington, following Tuesday's earthquake, according to Schlosser.

Part of the central tower of the National Cathedral, the highest point in Washington, was damaged, according to spokesman Richard Weinberg. "It looks like three of the pinnacles have broken off the central tower," Weinberg told CNN.

Update 3:02 p.m. ET: Amtrak is reporting service disruptions between Washington and Baltimore because of the earthquake, the company reported on Twitter.

Aftershocks are a concern, U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Lucy Jones told CNN. "People should be expecting (them), especially over the next hour or two," she said.

The quake was felt in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; New York City and on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, where President Barack Obama is vacationing. It's unknown if the president felt the quake.

The Pentagon has been evacuated, CNN's Barbara Starr reports. "When the building began shaking rather violently, hundreds of people began streaming out," she said, because many people thought that the building was under attack. Starr was standing in the Pentagon's press office when the roof started to shake.

Cell phone service has been disrupted in New York City, CNN learned within minutes of the quake.

Updated 2:47 p.m. ET: A "considerable amount" of water from a water pipe has flooded two corridors of the Pentagon, according to an announcement in the building. People who work in those areas are being asked to stay in their offices while workers try to repair the damage.

The National Cathedral in Washington is damaged, CNN has confirmed.

And Dominion Generation, which operates the North Anna nuclear power station in central Virginia a few miles from the epicenter of the earthquake, is trying to reach operational staff at the plant, according to a company spokesman. Landlines to the plant appear to be down.

Shortly after the quake struck, traders in the New York Stock Exchange also felt the quake and shouted to each other, "Keep trading!" CNN's business correspondent Alison Kosik reported from the floor at 2:20 p.m. E.T.

Twitter traffic suggests the quake was felt all over the East Coast.

In Philadelphia, HunterPence3 tweeted, "Wow Earthquake just shook the entire locker room!"

In Cleveland, "tribeinsider" wrote "I'm no expert but i think we just had an earthquake here."

And even in Toronto, Canada, tweets said that the shaking could be felt for minutes.

Pete Krech, who works at a business in Fredericksburg, Virginia, likened the sensation to being on a jolting amusement ride. "I was receiving a supply truck," said Krech, store manager at Mattress Warehouse of Fredericksburg, south of Washington. "I felt a vibration under my feet."

Brendan Wein, a sales representative at Hoffman Nursery in Roxboro, North Carolina, said he thought there was a helicopter flying above his work building.  "I was literally shaking in my chair," he said.

CNN iReporter Jeff Yapalater said he was in his backyard in New York's Long Island when the earthquake hit. "Suddenly I felt this light swaying of the Earth. I'd never felt that before, so I thought maybe I was experiencing vertigo for a moment, and it lasted maybe 30 seconds ... We're feeling this really far away!" he wrote.

soundoff (12,567 Responses)
  1. jen

    felt it in queens new york. my closet door was open and i noticed my clothes swaying and a book case shaking. i thought it was a truck. I didn't hear one or see one out the window,

    August 23, 2011 at 2:13 pm | Report abuse |
  2. K Bowman

    Felt it in upstate NY

    August 23, 2011 at 2:13 pm | Report abuse |
    • beth hultman

      I felt it in Brockport, Pennsyvania

      August 23, 2011 at 2:14 pm | Report abuse |
    • JLA

      we felt it in Durham NC, the whole office was shaking

      August 23, 2011 at 2:14 pm | Report abuse |
    • BK

      Felt it here in Boston, MA.

      August 23, 2011 at 2:15 pm | Report abuse |
    • Nick

      Felt strongly in upstate New York.

      August 23, 2011 at 2:15 pm | Report abuse |
    • Tammy

      Felt a 30 second 'wave' in Lanesboro, MASS.

      August 23, 2011 at 2:15 pm | Report abuse |
    • Kristi

      Felt in Akron, Ohio too

      August 23, 2011 at 2:15 pm | Report abuse |
    • d. beebout

      we felt it in Pittsburgh, PA

      August 23, 2011 at 2:16 pm | Report abuse |
    • Lesley

      Fellt it here in Albany NY!

      August 23, 2011 at 2:16 pm | Report abuse |
    • J Bolin

      Greensboro NC – tremors here!!!!

      August 23, 2011 at 2:16 pm | Report abuse |
    • TIna

      We felt it in Pittsburgh PA!

      August 23, 2011 at 2:16 pm | Report abuse |
    • K Hayes

      Felt in Hamilton, Ontario Canada.

      August 23, 2011 at 2:16 pm | Report abuse |
    • Tina

      It was felt out here in Hauppauge on Long Island!!!!

      August 23, 2011 at 2:16 pm | Report abuse |
    • Tyannia

      We felt this in Baltimore

      August 23, 2011 at 2:16 pm | Report abuse |
    • Mitch

      Felt a tremor (about 10 seconds) here in Boston, MA

      August 23, 2011 at 2:16 pm | Report abuse |
    • EA

      We felt here In NYC. I lost complete balance.....Very strange feeling....

      August 23, 2011 at 2:16 pm | Report abuse |
    • Michael

      Felt in Boston.

      August 23, 2011 at 2:16 pm | Report abuse |
    • Matt H

      Felt it just north of Toronto, Canada as well...

      August 23, 2011 at 2:17 pm | Report abuse |
    • Jason

      Felt it here in Toronto

      August 23, 2011 at 2:17 pm | Report abuse |
    • frank

      felt it in warminster, pa

      August 23, 2011 at 2:17 pm | Report abuse |
    • Flynn

      I just felt the earthquake, the room and house, tv and furnshings just shook in Poughkeepsie, New York, Lagrange area. Hope everyone is okay!

      August 23, 2011 at 2:17 pm | Report abuse |
    • Rockin' Rochester

      Shaking in Rochester, NY

      August 23, 2011 at 2:17 pm | Report abuse |
    • Mel

      Felt in Detroit MI

      August 23, 2011 at 2:17 pm | Report abuse |
    • Mary Reed

      Felt it on the upper East Side of NYC

      August 23, 2011 at 2:17 pm | Report abuse |
    • Mary Sparks

      we felt it Dearborn Michigan

      August 23, 2011 at 2:17 pm | Report abuse |
    • quake in MA

      Felt it in Framingham MA

      August 23, 2011 at 2:18 pm | Report abuse |
    • mjp

      We felt it in Brattleboro, VT! The whole building was swaying!

      August 23, 2011 at 2:18 pm | Report abuse |
    • andrea

      felt it in delmar, maryland

      August 23, 2011 at 2:18 pm | Report abuse |
    • sal

      Felt it here in Clifton, NJ.

      August 23, 2011 at 2:18 pm | Report abuse |
    • Doing homework

      Felt it strong in Stafford County, va

      August 23, 2011 at 2:18 pm | Report abuse |
    • Taylor

      Felt it in Winslow New Jersey

      August 23, 2011 at 2:18 pm | Report abuse |
    • Amina

      felt it in central jersey

      August 23, 2011 at 2:18 pm | Report abuse |
    • Beth

      We felt it in Toronto

      August 23, 2011 at 2:18 pm | Report abuse |
    • john

      felt it here in fredericksburg virginia

      August 23, 2011 at 2:18 pm | Report abuse |
    • Steve

      Felt it in Montreal. But I'm in a high rise. A friend of mine who was at street level didn't feel anything.

      August 23, 2011 at 2:19 pm | Report abuse |
    • SAKeller

      Felt in Elizabethton, TN as well.

      August 23, 2011 at 2:19 pm | Report abuse |
    • mwyman

      Felt it in West Suffield CT, just south of Springfield MA. My whole house rocked back and forth. CRAZY

      August 23, 2011 at 2:19 pm | Report abuse |
    • Heather

      Felt in Southwest Virginia, Falls Mills.

      August 23, 2011 at 2:19 pm | Report abuse |
    • John

      Where Upstate?

      August 23, 2011 at 2:19 pm | Report abuse |
    • Bruins

      We felt it up here in Boston.

      August 23, 2011 at 2:19 pm | Report abuse |
    • Kelly - Michigan

      It was felt here in Toledo, OHIO

      August 23, 2011 at 2:19 pm | Report abuse |
    • A Rowan

      Felt it in Fayetteville, NC at the MJ Soffe office building

      August 23, 2011 at 2:19 pm | Report abuse |
    • Rob

      Felt it in holtsville ny

      August 23, 2011 at 2:20 pm | Report abuse |
    • Annie

      Felt it in Rochester, NY

      August 23, 2011 at 2:20 pm | Report abuse |
    • Jim

      We felt it shake for about 2-3 seconds in Pittsburgh, PA

      August 23, 2011 at 2:20 pm | Report abuse |
    • Darrin

      I felt it in PIttsburgh. House shook and computer monitor rocked. Wii CD became off balance and made noises.

      August 23, 2011 at 2:21 pm | Report abuse |
    • john

      shook my whole house

      August 23, 2011 at 2:21 pm | Report abuse |
    • GJ

      Long Island NY checking in. Felt here also

      August 23, 2011 at 2:22 pm | Report abuse |
    • Kathy

      Felt the quake in Mechanicsburg PA

      August 23, 2011 at 2:22 pm | Report abuse |
    • DD525

      Felt in Medford, MA

      August 23, 2011 at 2:23 pm | Report abuse |
    • john

      felt it here in pa

      August 23, 2011 at 2:24 pm | Report abuse |
    • Felt it in Concord, NC

      Felt it in Concord, NC. 10th floor in the hotel (Embassy Suites right near Charlotte Motor Speedway. )

      Some nice shaking, making us wonder what was going on. Looked out the windows and the doors to see what it could be. Now we know.

      Mitch

      August 23, 2011 at 2:24 pm | Report abuse |
    • Bill Carroll

      We felt it here in America's Home town (Plymouth) Pretty scary even though I could only feel the house shaking and glasses clanging. I knew it was an earthquake because I hadn't even started drinking yet!!!

      August 23, 2011 at 2:29 pm | Report abuse |
  3. RDS

    Felt here in Columbus, Ohio. Was looking at computer and thought I was having an attack of vertigo because the room was going back and forth. Freaky,

    August 23, 2011 at 2:13 pm | Report abuse |
    • Beth

      We felt it in Dayton too. Our whole office shook. We thought we were having a mass attack of vertigo.

      August 23, 2011 at 2:15 pm | Report abuse |
    • amachi

      that is the EXACT same thing i thought, like something was physically wrong with me..

      August 23, 2011 at 2:15 pm | Report abuse |
    • ben

      What?? Columbus, Ohio? i'm sitting here at my computer playing WoW and I didn't feel a thing!! o.O btw today's my day off so yes i have time to play, for all those Wow-haters 😛

      August 23, 2011 at 2:16 pm | Report abuse |
    • Keith

      Same here, in Columbus, OH also. Felt it shaking and felt really weird

      August 23, 2011 at 2:17 pm | Report abuse |
    • Tony

      Was felt here in Pittsburgh, PA also

      August 23, 2011 at 2:20 pm | Report abuse |
    • e

      same here in Brooklyn, NY

      August 23, 2011 at 2:26 pm | Report abuse |
    • Agelika

      Me too (in Cbus)! It felt like someone was shaking my couch!

      August 23, 2011 at 2:28 pm | Report abuse |
  4. Steve

    Felt everything shake in my house here a few miles from Albany, NY.

    August 23, 2011 at 2:13 pm | Report abuse |
  5. ron brooks

    shaking the politicians like rats in hole. Karma is coming to you.

    August 23, 2011 at 2:13 pm | Report abuse |
    • Rick G

      Now if only hurricane Irene will finish the job!

      August 23, 2011 at 2:16 pm | Report abuse |
    • Jeremy in Tacoma

      Ron Brooks, you are pathetic.

      August 23, 2011 at 2:18 pm | Report abuse |
  6. Elizabeth

    Felt in a high rise on Boston, MA!!

    August 23, 2011 at 2:13 pm | Report abuse |
    • Rene

      felt it on the fifth floor of my office in Cambridge, MA

      August 23, 2011 at 2:19 pm | Report abuse |
  7. Yoshi

    Felt it in New York City too!! My whole sofa started shaking!!

    August 23, 2011 at 2:13 pm | Report abuse |
  8. FM

    Is this a sign of a deep thought actually occurring in the White House?

    August 23, 2011 at 2:13 pm | Report abuse |
  9. Sarah

    It was felt in Columbia, SC!!!!

    August 23, 2011 at 2:13 pm | Report abuse |
  10. David

    felt it in tenafly, nj. could feel the building shaking.

    August 23, 2011 at 2:13 pm | Report abuse |
  11. barbara

    We felt it in Chesapeake VA and my friend felt it in Raleigh NC.

    August 23, 2011 at 2:13 pm | Report abuse |
  12. Steve

    Dear East Coast -

    Let us know if we can be of assistance. We've done this once or twice.

    Sincerely,

    San Francisco

    August 23, 2011 at 2:13 pm | Report abuse |
  13. Lynn

    Felt the earth move and the house shake in Cherry Hill, NJ!

    August 23, 2011 at 2:13 pm | Report abuse |
  14. LT

    Felt it in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, minor tremor, thought i was feeling dizzy for not having lunch. lol.. but other ppl at office felt it.

    August 23, 2011 at 2:13 pm | Report abuse |
  15. Lstar

    felt it in Hampton, VA

    August 23, 2011 at 2:13 pm | Report abuse |
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