4.0 Aftershock in NJ Rattles Homes Across LI

LONG ISLAND, NY — A 4.0 magnitude New Jersey aftershock shook Long Island homes Friday night.

According to the United States Geological Survey, the aftershock was reported 7 km southwest of Gladstone, NJ at 5:59 p.m.

It was the latest in an eventful day for Long Islanders, who first felt their homes shake Friday morning after an earthquake was reported in New Jersey.

According to the United States Geological Survey, USGS, a magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 7 km northeast of the Whitehouse, NJ station shortly after 10:20 am.

The New York State Office of Emergency Management sent out an alert shortly after noon. “An earthquake occurred in New Jersey. The earthquake was felt throughout New York State. Aftershocks may occur. Call 911 only if you or others are injured or have an emergency.”

The USGS said magnitude is expressed in whole numbers and decimal fractions, adding that “a magnitude of 5.3 is a moderate earthquake and a 6.3 is a strong earthquake.” Michigan Tech reported that a magnitude of 2.5 to 5.4 is “often noticeable but causes only minor damage,” not reporting about 500,000 annually.

A National Weather Service office, which said the USGS was the agency able to confirm an earthquake, said tremors could be felt for up to 8 seconds at Upton's office.

“A 4.8 magnitude earthquake struck west of Manhattan and was felt throughout New York City,” Governor Kathy Hochsul said. “My team is assessing the impact and any damage that may have occurred and we will update the public throughout the day.”

Hochul added: “This is one of the largest earthquakes on the east coast in the last century. So I immediately asked the emergency management team, the second we got the alert, to start doing damage assessments – any life in danger and to find out if there are any bridges or tunnels that have been breached.”

Hochul said, speaking an hour and a half after the results: “We have not identified any life-threatening situations, but we are certainly asking local law enforcement teams and emergency services to be on the lookout for that as well. But again, we will be reviewing all potentially vulnerable infrastructure sites across New York State which is extremely important after an event like this.”

Hochul said millions of New Yorkers felt the effects of the quake, which was centered in central New Jersey, about 45 miles west of Manhattan.

“We take this extremely seriously, and here's why: there's always the possibility of aftershocks. But we haven't felt the magnitude of an earthquake of this level since about 2011.”

Hochul said she has been in contact with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, the mayor of New York, the MTA, the Port Authority and utilities. He was also in contact with the White House.

“It's been a very worrying day, to say the least,” Hotchul said. He offered safety tips.

“Everyone should continue to take this seriously. If there is an aftershock, people are encouraged to fall and take cover and hold on. Drop to the floor, cover your neck and hold on to something durable. Be careful near any damaged buildings”.

From the North Fork on Long Island, residents took to social media to share the experience: “My house shook,” echoed one after another.

“I felt it in Queens,” wrote one North Fork resident. “The whole building was moving.” Others reported that their houses shook for up to 10 seconds.

“I felt the earthquake here in Hardwick,” said Del Cullum, a former East End resident who recently moved. “It scared me. The whole house shook. I grabbed my cat Pickles and ran outside. I shook for 15 seconds. Whoa!”

Residents participated in community Facebook groups, with one administrator in the Mastic-Shirley area asking if there had just been an earthquake in Mastic.

Some posters answered “Yes”, while another said “her whole house was shaking”.

On another page, a woman wrote: “The mastic shook. I was literally, what was that?”

Another woman said her entire house shook in Brookhaven.

“Things fell into my glass cabinet!” she wrote.

One woman described how she folded her clothes when she felt the quake, adding: “My whole bed was shaking like a poltergeist was shaking it!”

The event was also felt by staff at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton.

Peter Genzer, director of the lab's Media and Communications office, said staff have been asked to report any damage, but so far none has been recorded.

Waves rocked Long Island's tallest building in Hauppauge, the Dennison Building and home to Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine.

In his statement, Romaine did not mention any significant incidents. “The office of emergency management continues to monitor the situation and my office is in communication with local authorities, hospitals and emergency management services in our area,” he said.

Michael Martino, a spokesman for Romaine, told Patch at about 10:30 a.m. that the building had been evacuated. He said the county's fire, rescue and emergency services did not see an increase in emergency calls after the quake.

County staff will assess the property for damage, he said.

Officials at Stony Brook University Hospital said there are no reports of damage or injuries at this time, but they will continue to monitor the situation.

Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico noted that the Town Hall, which is located on Bald Hill in Farmingville, was not fully evacuated because the event was so short.

“By the time people were getting their things and heading for the exit, everyone was already back,” he said.

In the meantime, the city's emergency management department will conduct a damage assessment.

“Everything is fine for the first time, it seems after months,” he said. “I'm sitting in my office looking at the blue sky, and that's rare since I've taken this job. Unfortunately, we've had some of the aftereffects of the earthquake in New Jersey, but I'm happy to report that here at Brookhaven City Hall as well. “

It is the second earthquake for Panico at City Hall. In 2011, a similar incident had occurred.

“I think the duration was definitely longer in terms of the timeline that went on,” he said. “But I'm happy to report it all here for Brookhaven City Hall as well. Everyone is working hard and it made for an eventful Friday.”

“It's an eclipse on Monday and we'll see what Monday brings,” he said.

Nassau County Sheriff Bruce Blakeman said there were no reports of structural damage.

“We did a good job making sure everything was operational,” he said at an afternoon briefing.

Blakeman said National Grid and PSEG Long Island reported no gas or power problems since the earthquake. Additionally, he said there was no report of downed utility poles or downed trees.

The county's wastewater treatment facilities and Nassau University Medical Center were not damaged.
The Department of Public Works evaluated the county's buildings three stories or taller and found no structural concerns, Blakeman added.

Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said 911 received a “backlog of calls” that lasted about 45 minutes and then “returned to normal operations.”

This is a developing story.