On Friday, April 5 at 10:23 am, there was an incredible earthquake. Photos tumbled, dishes clattered, bridges swayed, people were in a state of confusion. The entirety of the east coast didn’t really know what to do, except maybe to get away from windows and protect the heads. In my personal experience, I was home when it happened. The house started trembling; I thought at first that it was a big gust of wind. I quickly realized that it was an earthquake, and my family and I rushed away from the dangerous windows of our home.

The epicenter of the earthquake was said to be near Lebanon, New Jersey. As I was listening to the news at the time, covering what had happened, a lot of the live video and audio were delayed. In addition, it was reported that there were also delays in the NYC train system, as well as 1 hour delays for flights. Although no damage has been reported, a lot of people were frightened by the 10 seconds of intense shaking. Others reported that they did not feel the earthquake, so it is interesting to hear all of the “buzz” surrounding this subject.

Although 4.8 magnitude earthquakes are considered only moderate, there was only a 2% chance of that happening in NYC within a 50 year period. The last most significant tremor felt in NYC was in 1884, with a magnitude of 5.3. That was expected to be four times as strong as the one that Friday. Yet, the one we felt definitely got our attention.

Did you guys feel it? We’d love to hear your story!