2024-04-06 12:52:10
An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.8 occurred near New York, the largest city in the United States, on the 5th (local time), shaking skyscrapers on the East Coast and causing anxiety among residents. About 8 hours later, an aftershock of magnitude 4.0 occurred, comparable to the main quake. It was the largest earthquake in the eastern United States in 13 years, but fortunately, there were no casualties or damage to facilities.
According to Reuters and AFP, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) announced that a magnitude 4.8 earthquake occurred in Tewksbury, New Jersey, about 64 km west of Manhattan, New York, at 10:23 a.m. local time. The depth to the epicenter was estimated to be relatively shallow, at approximately 4.7 km.
Later, at 5:59 p.m. that day, a magnitude 4.0 aftershock occurred in Gladstone, New Jersey, about 11 km away from Tewkesbury. There were at least 10 aftershocks in the meantime, but most were estimated to be between magnitude 1.8 and 2.2.
This was the largest earthquake in the eastern United States since the 5.8 magnitude earthquake in Piedmont, Virginia in 2011. When limited to the northeastern United States, it is the largest earthquake in 22 years since the magnitude 5.3 earthquake that occurred in Plattsburgh, New York in 2002, and is the third largest in history.
“This was one of the largest earthquakes to hit the East Coast in the last century,” New York Governor Cathy Hocal said at a press conference that day, and advised New Yorkers who are not familiar with earthquakes to be careful of falling objects and evacuate in case of aftershocks. New York City Mayor Eric Adams also held a press conference and urged citizens to be cautious of aftershocks, remain calm, and continue with their daily lives.
The earthquake and aftershocks continued, but no significant casualties or facility damage was reported as of this afternoon, New York and New Jersey authorities said. Nevertheless, tremors were also felt in New York City, northern Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and western Connecticut, and citizens evacuated buildings. “She felt a loud bang for about 30 seconds,” Charita Walcott, 38, of the Bronx, New York, told Reuters. “She felt like she was trapped in a drum.”
On this morning, an earthquake occurred at the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan, New York, while the representative of Save the Children’s U.S. branch was explaining the damage situation in the Gaza Strip. As the camera broadcasting the meeting continued to shake and vibrate, meeting attendees were confused and the meeting was halted for a moment amidst the confusion. AFP reported that soon, emergency text message alerts warning of the earthquake began to beep loudly on the mobile phones of diplomats stationed at the United Nations.
In the aftermath of the earthquake, takeoffs and landings at JFK International Airport and LiGuardia Airport in Queens, New York, and Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey were temporarily suspended immediately after the earthquake, but resumed around 12:30 p.m. that day. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said that flight operations may be delayed by about two hours from the scheduled time. The New York subway operated normally. New York transit authorities announced that they had inspected all seven subway bridges and found that there were no problems.
Meanwhile, the daily New York Times (NYT) reported that despite the earthquake that shook New York that day, the earthquake warning notification was sent 26 minutes late, putting the authorities’ delayed response at risk. According to the NYT, the first earthquake warning alarm sounded on citizens’ mobile phones was at 10:49 am. In response to this, New York City protested, saying, “20 minutes is a very short time for public notification,” and that officials needed time to confirm the facts.
In response, New York City Councilman Sean Abreu pointed out on his social media that day, “I don’t know if I was more surprised because of the earthquake or because of the late warning.” Iskol, who lives in New York, directly told the NYT, “New York City’s job is to provide breaking news about whether an earthquake has occurred.” Moreover, the first notification that day was sent only to the 1 million people who signed up for the New York City emergency notification service, and much later appeared on the mobile phones of all New Yorkers.
(Seoul = News 1)
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2024-04-06 12:52:10