Earthquake hits White House

Posted by admin Africa & World Politics Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

The seat of power in the United States, White House, the legislative headquarters, US Capitol and the headquarters of the US Department of Defence, The Pentagon and other federal buildings were evacuated on Tuesday, after a 5.9 magnitude earthquake centred in Virginia rocked Washington, D.C.

Control towers at John F. Kennedy airport and Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey were also evacuated.

Tremors shook New York City office buildings, prompting evacuations of courthouses, City Hall and also halting work at the World Trade Centre (WTC) construction site, officials and witnesses said.

The CBS News reported that after the shaking struck at 1:51 p.m. ET, Secret Service rushed people out of the White House and into Lafayette Square.

The newspaper said “most people exiting the building remained calm.”

It reported that “the US Capitol police sent a message to people in the Capitol building to evacuate, asking staff to report to their Office Emergency Coordinator.”

At the Pentagon, people immediately started running out of the building, CBS News reported.

The building was evacuated, though officials made an announcement that people could stay inside the heavily fortified building if they chose to, while it was inspected.

The Justice Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) headquarters and the Justice Department were also evacuated after the surprising event.

There were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries from the quake, which the US Geological Survey said was centred in Mineral, Virginia, between Charlottesville and Richmond.

It was initially recorded at 5.8 magnitude.

Washington office workers scurried into the streets after the quake, which lasted for about five seconds and sent items crashing to the floor from store and office shelves.

It was not immediately clear if there was any damage or injuries in New York, but fire department and police officials in Dutchess County, north of New York City, reported structural damage to some buildings.

A spokesman for the city transit agency said the quake was felt but declined immediate comment on whether the subway system was affected.

-Tribunewp_posts