Please don’t make fun of us, West Coasters, but the East Coast from at least Virginia to Boston is collectively freaking out right now after getting hit with an earthquake. Mediaite headquarters in New York as well as Mediaite correspondents in Washington D.C. felt a series of shocks of what’s now being declared a 5.8 quake. The Capitol and the Pentagon have apparently been evacuated.
We’ll have more news as soon as it’s available but, right now, it’s just amusing to watch the reactions of Americans who have never faced this kind of phenomenon. At least one person in this office (ok, it was me) was trying to remember what they say in the movies. You’re supposed to get in doorways or something, right?
UPDATE 2:11pm EST: MSNBC has the quake a 6.0. However, the official number from US Geological Survey is a 5.9.
UPDATE 2:16pm EST: This was apparently the biggest earthquake to ever hit D.C. The second biggest was last year but was only a 3.6. (h/t Kirsten Powers)
UPDATE 2:24pm EST: The epicenter of the earthquake was apparently Mineral, Virginia. CNN has reported that the quake was felt all the way up in Toronto.
UPDATE 3:02pm EST: The Washington Post is reporting that the Pentagon may not have been evacuated.
Here is the initial coverage from Fox News:
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