Earthquake in Maine Rattles Homes, Nerves Throughout Northeast

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Earthquake in Maine Rattles Homes, Nerves Throughout Northeast

A 3.8-magnitude earthquake centered close to the southern Maine coast rattled homes in northern New England on Monday and was felt by shocked residents of states a whole bunch of miles away.

The earthquake came about at about 10:22 a.m. on Monday and was centered about six miles (10 kilometers) southeast of York Harbor in southern Maine, the US Geological Survey reported. It was reported at a depth of about eight miles (13 kilometers) the survey mentioned.

Officers mentioned the quake may very well be felt in each state in New England and as distant as Pennsylvania. In southern Maine, many residents reported feeling homes and buildings shake because the stunning earthquake interrupted a sunny winter morning.

The quake despatched residents and officers in Maine and New Hampshire trying to assess any attainable injury. Typically, residents and companies reported confusion over what had occurred. Many shared tales on social media indicating they initially thought there might have been a close-by automobile accident or presumably an explosion.

The Maine Emergency Administration Company requested residents to solely name 911 within the occasion of an emergency. The earthquake didn’t seem to trigger main injury, mentioned Vanessa Corson, a spokesperson for the company. Corson additionally mentioned native emergency administration businesses didn’t report any injury.

New Hampshire’s Division of Security mentioned the state’s 911 quantity didn’t obtain any calls about injury or accidents.

“We’ve got not obtained phrase of any points. We’ve spoken with the administrators at York and Cumberland County EMA, and every little thing appears to be so as,” Corson mentioned.

Justine Wenger, a contract copywriter working from her Scarborough dwelling, mentioned she was texting with a good friend when she felt the earthquake. The vibrations lasted about 30 seconds and shook her home. At first, she thought it was a passing truck, then feared her furnace would possibly blow up so she went out onto her deck.

“I wasn’t terrified, however this felt completely different than a traditional rumbling,” she mentioned. “It felt substantial. There was an intuition to get out of the home.”

Authorities mentioned residents who felt the earthquake may report it to the USGS web site. Earthquakes within the heart and jap components of the U.S. are much less frequent than in western states, however they’re sometimes felt over a wider area, the survey mentioned on its web site.

It’s frequent for there to be two small earthquakes a yr in New England, the survey mentioned. A barely stronger earthquake primarily based in New Jersey shook the Northeast in April.

“Individuals in New England, and in its geological extension southward by Lengthy Island, have felt small earthquakes and suffered injury from rare bigger ones since colonial instances,” in response to the survey’s web site.

An earthquake of near 4.0 or barely larger in magnitude within the Northeast states “shouldn’t be notably frequent, however it’s not all that uncommon, both,” mentioned Maureen Lengthy, the chair of the Division of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Yale College. Lengthy cited the April earthquake in New Jersey for instance.

An 2002 earthquake in upstate New York measured at a magnitude of 5.1. There was additionally a magnitude 4.7 occasion close to Hollis Heart, Maine, in 2012, Lengthy mentioned.

Residents of cities together with Boston and Windfall, Rhode Island, additionally reported feeling the quake.

In Kennebunk, Maine, faculty superintendent Terri Cooper assured dad and mom by way of e-mail that workers was wanting by faculties for any injury and every little thing appeared wonderful.

“Our operations division has checked all district buildings and programs to make sure they’re in working order and no injury has been found,” Cooper’s e-mail mentioned.

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Casey reported from Boston. Related Press author Holly Ramer in Harmony, New Hampshire, additionally contributed to this story.

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Subjects
Catastrophe
Natural Disasters
Maine

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