No injuries reported as earthquake shakes many local buildings
A 5.9 magnitude earthquake that was centered northwest of Richmond, Va., was felt as far north as New York City and was felt throughout southwestern Pennsylvania Tuesday afternoon.
Uniontown police said that the quake gently shook the police station on Penn Street in Uniontown and other businesses around Fayette County submitted similar reports.
Police said that no damage from the quake was reported in Uniontown.
State police across the region also reported feeling the shaking but said that no one was injured and that no damage had been reported.
Susan Griffith, public relations director for Fayette County Emergency Management Agency, said that within a matter of minutes of the earthquake, the public safety building was flooded with calls regarding the tremors.
“Tremors from the earthquake that struck in Virginia ripped through the county, shaking the ground and structures,” Griffith said.
Griffith, who noted that the tremors were also felt at the public safety building, said EMA officials immediately briefed the Fayette County commissioners regarding the quake and also worked to quell the fears of callers in the moments after the shake.
“At this time no significant damages or injuries have been reported,” Griffith said.
Emergency personnel also responded to Uniontown Hospital and Highlands Hospital in Connellsville following the quake and reported no damage to either structure.
According to Jay Ofsanik, spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, officials are conducting inspections of key bridges across the district to ensure no structural damage was caused during the earthquake.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was 3.7 miles deep with an epicenter near Mineral, Va.
Officials said that shaking was felt at the White House and all over the East Coast, as far south as Chapel Hill, N.C.
As a result of the quake, sections of the Pentagon, White House and Capitol were evacuated.
The local chapter of the American Red Cross said they are monitoring the situation but have not received any requests for assistance as a result of the earthquake.
Additionally, in Washington County, officials said the county’s Emergency Operations Center was activated as a result of the quake as a precautionary measure.