East Coast Rocked by Earthquake, Pentagon Evacuated

An earthquake with an epicenter in Virginia occurred Tuesday,August 23, with people in Washington, DC, New York, Ohio, North and South Carolina, Massachusetts and Toronto reporting they felt the tremors.

Reports thus far indicate the quake registered a 5.9 on the Richter scale, and the USGS says it’s the most powerful quake to hit Virginia since 1897.

A separate earthquake was reported today near Cokedale, Colorado, 180 miles south of Denver, registering 5.3 on the Richter scale. The largest quake felt in Colorado since 1967.

CNN’s Barbara Starr reports the Pentagon was evacuated, and many people feared a bomb had gone off. “When the building began shaking rather violently, hundreds of people began streaming out,” she said.

Parts of Manhattan were also evacuated and delays were reported at JFK, Newark, and Philadelphia airports.

[CNN]