Earthquake rattles New York City, little damage reported

Earthquake rattles New York City, little damage reported 

A magnitude-4.8 earthquake rumbled through the northeastern United States on Friday, sending tremors from Philadelphia to Boston and jolted buildings in New York City.

An apparent aftershock was widely felt around 6pm, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The USGS reported that the earthquake’s epicentre was near Whitehouse Station, about 40 miles west of New York City.

The agency estimated the depth of the bedrock rupture at 2.9 miles.

In nearby Lebanon, N.J., china plates rattled in diners and frightened residents darted into streets to find trees, cars and the ground shaking.

The earthquake was not a rarity for the New York area — numerous small temblors go unnoticed every year, geologists say — but its strength and intensity unsettled a region more accustomed to flooded roadways and snow-covered sidewalks than trembling walls.

Several minor aftershocks were reported in New Jersey in the hours afterward, including one with a magnitude of 2.2 that struck at 1:32pm near the original quake’s epicentre.

The New York Police Department said it had no immediate reports of damage. Several East Coast airports issued ground stops halting air traffic in the immediate aftermath, but flights later resumed as normal.

Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement Friday morning that New York City did not have any reports of “major impact or injuries,” and that the city would continue its inspections of critical infrastructure.

Later, in a news conference, Adams urged New Yorkers to be on alert for aftershocks but should otherwise proceed with their activities.

“New Yorkers should go about their normal day,” Adams said.

The White House said that President Joe Biden spoke with Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey and told him that his administration was in touch with state and local officials and would provide assistance, if needed.New York City’s schools chancellor said at the news conference with Mr. Adams that all students in public schools were safe, and parents should not pick up their children early.

New York State officials in Albany said that they had been in touch with counties as well as nuclear facilities across the state, with no reports of damage aside from a gas leak in Rockland County. “Fortunately here in the state of New York, we are masters of disasters,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said.

Murphy said on X that the state had activated its emergency operations center, and urged residents not to call 911 unless they were having an actual emergency.

Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania said on X that his team and the state’s emergency management agency were monitoring the situation.

New York Times