The earthquake had a magnitude of 4.8. The tremors were clearly felt, but there are no reports of damage.
An earthquake has shaken the region around the metropolis of New York. There were initially no reports of injuries or property damage. According to the responsible US authorities, the quake on Friday morning (local time) had a magnitude of 4.8 and occurred at a depth of 4.7 kilometers. The epicenter was near the town of Lebanon in the US state of New Jersey, about 65 kilometers west of the city of New York.
“This was one of the largest earthquakes on the East Coast in 100 years,” said New York State Governor Kathy Hochul. The inspections of infrastructure and the search for damage are taken “extremely seriously”. “Fortunately, we are masters of disasters here in New York. We know how to deal with it.”
Slight grumbling in Manhattan
According to reports, the quake was felt for about a minute in a wide radius around the epicenter and along the coast from Baltimore to Boston, around 600 kilometers further north. In Manhattan it arrived as a slight rumble, but still startled many people. Dogs started barking and many people left their houses. The tremors were also clearly felt in the Brooklyn district: “The entire building shook,” said a resident in the Greenpoint district. Her neighbor said she had never been so scared.
Several airports in the affected area temporarily stopped take-off and landing to check the runways for possible damage. Several tunnels and train routes were also temporarily partially closed for inspections. Warnings on cell phones informed people in the region and made them aware of the possibility of aftershocks.
No reports of major impacts
US President Joe Biden told reporters that he had spoken to the governor of New Jersey. He wasn’t too worried, “so everything is fine.” The White House had previously said Biden was in contact with his team, which was monitoring the possible impact. New York Mayor Eric Adams was also informed. “We currently have no reports of major impacts, but we are continuing to assess,” said spokesman Fabien Levy. The New York fire department and police initially had no information about any damage.
Numerous schools and kindergartens immediately informed parents that everything was fine. “The only thing that fell was a box of tissues,” said one elementary school on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
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