MANHATTAN (CN) — A 4.8 magnitude earthquake rattled the Tri-State area on Friday, shaking buildings in Manhattan and causing temporary transit delays throughout the Northeast.
The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed that the quake occurred at 10:23 a.m. near Lebanon, New Jersey — a town of less than 2,000 people about 50 miles west of New York City. It’s one of the strongest earthquakes to strike the region in decades.
No significant damage was reported in New York City, according to a statement from Mayor Eric Adams.
“Our preliminary reports do not indicate major life safety or infrastructure issues from the earthquake,” Adams said in a statement. “We are performing thorough inspections of critical areas.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul echoed the same sentiment.
“I’ve directed state agencies to survey our bridges, roads, railways, major transmission lines and dams, and any other potentially vulnerable infrastructure to ensure they are safe,” she said in a statement. “There are no reports of damage or injuries from this morning’s earthquake at this time.”
Adams, Hochul and other elected officials did warn residents of a possible aftershock, however.
“In case of aftershocks: get down on the floor, cover your head and neck, and take additional cover under a solid piece of furniture, next to an interior wall, or in a doorway,” Adams said.
There is a 46% chance of an at least 3 magnitude aftershock of hitting the region in the next week, according to forecasts from the U.S. Geological Survey. The organization estimated that around 42 million people felt the shaking on Friday.
Some may have been as far as Baltimore, Hochul acknowledged in a press conference after the incident.
“I’ve been in communication with the White House, they reached out to us,” Hochul said. “The deputy Homeland Security advisor, who is actually with President Biden right now surveying the damage in Baltimore, called us, and I believe they felt the effects even in Baltimore. It’s been an unsettling day to say the least.”
At the same presser, New York Director of State Operations Kathryn Garcia said that Friday’s quake was indeed out of the ordinary for the region.
“While highly unusual in the state of NY, we do actually have fault lines,” Garcia said. “This was significantly bigger than ones that are typically felt in the state of NY, or occur and are actually not felt… We are also tracking whether or not there is any increase in hospitalizations as well as whether or not there is any increase in vehicle accidents that has not been reported at this time.”
The roughly 20-second quake did ground flights in Tri-State airports, and even delayed arrival flights at Baltimore-Washington International Airport. Most airports have since resumed normal activity, however.
New York City’s transit system appeared unscathed, according to New York City Police Department Chief of Transit Michael Kemper.
“There are no current reports of any structural damage and/or service disruptions to the NYC Transit system as a result,” he said in a statement posted to Twitter.
In fact, the Manhattan Transit Authority claims that the infrastructure it operates could withstand much stronger forces than Friday’s quake.
"The seven bridges operated by MTA had been inspected and I want to emphasize those were designed to withstand much stronger seismic impacts than we experienced today,” Bridges Chief Cathy Sheridan said during a press conference.
New Jersey Transit told riders to expect delays as crews inspected bridges after the earthquake.
Follow @Uebey
Subscribe to Closing Arguments
Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.
Additional Reads
-
Newsom’s ‘May revise’ trims budget to $288 billion May 10, 2024 -
