It was a relatively powerful 5.8 magnitude earthquake centered in Virginia. It struck at 1:50 p.m. one year ago on August 23. Some people in Tredyffrin and Easttown felt it. Others did not. The shaking was enough to damage the Washington Monument, which remains closed for repairs. Some local commuters told TE Patch they fled from Center Philadelphia high-rise offices as the streets below were teeming with people. Where were you when the earthquake hit? Tell us your earthquake story in the comments section at the bottom of this article. You can also upload photos from that day by clicking …
When Tuesday's tremor hit, did you instinctively stand in a doorway, and then wonder if maybe you should make a break for the outdoors? That might not be the best reaction, depending on your circumstances. That earthquake had a magnitude of 5.8, placing it at about a VI or VII on the Mercalli scale of intensity. People situated near the epicenter saw dishes broken, heavy furniture moved, and damage to some shoddier buildings but not well-constructed ones. Of course, Tredyffrin and Easttown are about 225 miles from the epicenter of the earthquake, so this area felt only some momentary …
It was literally a "once in a lifetime" event, and the reactions to Tuesday's earthquake depended largely on where people were at 1:50 p.m. when it hit. "It was scary," bank teller Beverly Egerter said as she told the story of being in the ladies room at the Sovereign Bank branch in Devon. "The sink started shaking. Mirrors started shaking. I thought the plumbing was going to explode!" By 3:30 p.m. Egerter was joking about her experience, but as it was happening it was no laughing matter. "I thought a truck hit the building." When you work in a bank something like that can be a very serious …
Jim Dobner got off the SEPTA Paoli-Thorndale train Tuesday evening with quite an answer for the classic question 'anything unusual happen at work today?' 26 stories up in a glass building Dobner says he felt the shaking for a second or two and that was enough for him. "I pretty much led the group from the 26th floor down to the street." Dobner and his co-workers in Two Liberty Place were not alone. Buildings all over Center City and even some along the Main Line were evacuated as occupants flooded out on to the streets. Dobner said he walked around Center City "for about an hour" before …
Mary Ruth Thompson of Devon was just wrapping up a long day at the Philadelphia Zoo when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake rumbled through the Northeastern United States, shaking Philadelphia and the Upper Main Line. At first Thompson didn't even realize what was happening. "It felt like in a parking garage when (a heavy truck or vehicle) rumbles through,"she said. "Honestly I thought maybe I hadn't enough water to drink and I should go sit down in the car after you know, a long day with the kids." Thompson, her daughter,a student at Tredyffrin-Easttown Middle School, and a friend had no trouble …
Julie Frederick of Wayne, Tredyffrin Township says she not only felt the 5.9 magnitude earthquake that rattled much of the Mid-Atlantic Tuesday afternoon, she knew "right away" what it was. Frederick says it was strong enough to wake her young daughter up from a nap but that she and her family were otherwise ok. Click on the video clip to see and hear what she experienced when the quake, centered in south centeral Virgina, hit and how she recognized it could only be an earthquake.
