A preliminary 4.8 magnitude earthquake shook New York City at 10:23 on Friday morning, surprising and confusing residents not used to seismic phenomena. Below is everything we know about the quake.
In a briefing just before noon, Governor Kathy Hochul told reporters that the state hadn’t felt a quake of this magnitude since 2011 when the effects of a 5.8 earthquake that struck Virginia could be felt as far away as Buffalo. “This is one of the largest earthquakes on the East Coast to occur in the last century,” she said.
The governor announced that structural and engineering teams are surveying bridges and roads as well as transmission lines and dams for any impact from the earthquake, but so far nothing has been reported. Hochul also advised residents to inspect their own properties for any damage and to stay alert in case of any aftershocks.
“If there is an after effect, please stay away from buildings, especially our high rises. If you hear a shifting or any noises, unusual noises, leave your home. Go outside. You’re safer there than in a building that could be crumbling around you,” she said.
Hochul noted that she was meeting with her senior team about the ongoing budget negotiations when the earthquake hit. “Getting a budget done that includes a once in a lifetime housing package may be the only seismic event we expected this week. So, this was rather unanticipated,” she said.
Our official Rapture correspondent, Sarah Jones, asks:
We had floods earlier this week. A solar eclipse is imminent, as is a plague of locusts. Eric Adams is the mayor. It’s all very troubling!
And so I return to the Scriptures for guidance, as if the earth shook the atheism right out of me. The Book of Revelation mentions earthquakes quite a lot. For example, in chapter eight: “And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.” And later, in chapter 16: “And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.”
Read the rest of her response here.
There was quite a scene as my plane touched down at JFK and every passenger’s phone sounds out loud with two separate emergency alerts at once. And it’s not even a Boeing plane!
Here’s the outdated guidance the mayor tweeted out about aftershocks:
In case of aftershocks: get down on the floor, cover your head and neck, and take additional cover under a solid piece of furniture, next to an interior wall, or in a doorway.
But the federal government specifically recommends NOT going near doorways:
If you are inside, stay and do not run outside and avoid doorways.
As a USGS scientist explained to the New York Times:
Experts used to advise people to stand under a doorway during an earthquake, but they don’t do that anymore, Dr. [Robert-Michael de Groot] said. “There was a time when the doorway was structurally more stable, stronger than the rest of other parts of the house,” he said. “That really isn’t the case anymore.”
The text from @NotifyNYC felt slow on this - arrived at 10:49am. pic.twitter.com/xi59YG4y0s
An emergency alert went out to phones in the NYC metro area, warning residents to remain indoors and to contact 911 if injured. However, the notification didn’t go out until around 11:02 a.m., a full 39 minutes after the quake was first felt. Ahead of the alert, a City Hall spokesman told social media for “awareness” that the city’s emergency management department would be sending the message. The administration has previously faced criticism for what was seen as a slow response to crises such as the flooding in the city in 2023. A second anticlimactic alert went out at around 11:46 a.m., warning residents that aftershocks “may be felt,” but that they can “continue usual activities.”
Arrivals into Newark, JFK, and LaGuardia airports were held because of the quake, the FAA said, according to the New York Times, with 45-minute delays expected. Amtrak is limiting speed until it can finish inspecting the tracks:
As of 11:05 a.m. ET, due to the 4.8 earthquake in New Jersey, Amtrak has initiated its track inspection protocol. Speed restrictions have been implemented throughout the Northeast until all inspections are completed.
It’s not yet clear whether New York City might experience aftershocks, though local officials are warning about the possibility. According to the United States Geological Survey, aftershocks, or the smaller quakes that follow the main earthquake, tend to follow shallow quakes rather than deeper quakes that are more than 30 km deep.
When you feel a strong earthquake, the current advice is to drop down to the ground, cover your heads and neck with your arms, and to take cover under a sturdy object like a table or desk and hold on tightly.
Strongest #earthquake to strike New Jersey in nearly 250 years, and 3rd strongest on record for the state in 280 years of record-keeping (1737-2017). The only 2 stronger ones: a 5.2 mag in 1737 and 5.3 mag in 1783! Source: https://t.co/6v4s7mQI4E https://t.co/C7gjUKmtvl
So far, damage appears to be minimal, with New Yorkers more frustrated with inconveniences caused by the unusual event:
Train just stopped in the middle of a tunnel and sat for a second. Somebody said “There was an earthquake.” Nobody said anything for a second as the train kept sitting and a guy goes “Man, fuck this. I’m late for work.”
So far, people seem focused on making jokes about the rare and (thankfully minor) seismic shock — and particularly jokes at the expense of the mayor:
Eric Adams about to send 500,000 cops to the earth’s core.
Eric Adams is like New York City is the San Andreas Fault of America
Eric Adams after the earthquake: "They call New York the L.A. of America!"
Governor Kathy Hochul tweeted that the state will be “assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred.” Mayor Eric Adams was being briefed on the matter, according to his press office. He will hold a press conference at 12 p.m.
According to the United States Geological Survey, the earthquake’s epicenter was near Lebanon, New Jersey, about 40 miles outside of New York City. It registered at a 4.8 on the Richter scale and was felt as far as Philadelphia and Boston. It appears to be the largest earthquake in the area since the 1800s.
The #earthquake in New Jersey was felt from Maryland to Connecticut. pic.twitter.com/FFfvFZJtPM
This post has been updated throughout
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