Earthquake felt here Tuesday

A 5.9 magnitude earthquake shook Morgan County, Hancock and most of West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland shortly before 2 p.m., as The Morgan Messenger went to press yesterday.

Residents from all parts of Morgan County called the newspaper office to report that their homes had been shaken by the quake. While people said they felt the earthquake,

there were no immediate reports of injuries or serious damage. A 5.9 earthquake can cause major damage to poorly constructed buildings near the quake epicenter, but generally does not damage well-designed structures.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the epicenter of the quake
appeared to be northwest of Richmond, Va.In Washington, D.C., the Pentagon was evacuated after “the building began shaking rather violently,”reported CNN. Other buildings were also evacuated.

The earthquake was felt as far away as New York City, New England and
Ohio. There were initial reports that skyscrapers in Manhattan were evacuated and that cell phone service was disrupted.