UPDATE: State Officials Report No Injuries or Serious Damages From VA. Quake

Following the earthquake, which originated in Virginia this afternoon but was felt throughout Connecticut, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy convened a conference call with key commissioners, as well as Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection staff at the Emergency Operations Center this afternoon to review any injuries or damage. At this point there are no reports of injuries or serious damage, officials in the governor's office said.

Original Story

Did you feel that shake? A 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit Mineral, Virginia, about 80 miles Southwest of Washington D.C., at 1:51 p.m. Tuesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and many throughout the East Coast and in Meriden have reported feeling tremors.

Emergency responders in the city have been getting a flurry of calls about tremors since the earthquake occured. Officials say these are aftershocks.

No damages have yet been reported in the city or the state, according to officials. Employees at some local manufacturers evacuated their buildings after feeling them shake, including AGC at 106 Evansville Ave., according to Fire Marshal Steve Trella. Employees at AGC were back at work when reporters phoned at 2:35 p.m.

Trella said that if residents are concerned about the safety of their buildings they should call the department.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy sent out a statement Tuesday afternoon.

"Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection staff is at the Emergency Operations Center as a precaution, but at this point, there have been no reports of injury or damage,” said Gov. Dannel Malloy in a statement Tuesday.

USA Today has a running update on the quake, which was felt throughout the East Coast. According to the paper, JFK airport has been shut down, and the Pentagon evacuated.

The incident happened around 1:50 p.m. Details are scarce at the moment, but Twitter is lighting up with reports of tremors in Fredericksburg, King George, and Manassas, Va., among others.

The tremors sent people scurrying into the streets near the home offices of Fredericksburg Patch on Forbes Street.

Hector Correra, a painter working at 1314 Caroline Street was on top of a ladder scraping paint when the quake struck.

"It was weird." said the shaken Correra. He said he's never felt an earthquake in Virginia before. 

Emergency officials in the region are still investigating to determine the extent of damages.

In response to the quake and the resulting tremors the American Red Cross has released a fact-sheet about preparing for and responding to earthquakes. A PDF of both an English and Spanish version of the fact sheet is available above.

Developing story

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