A 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit the DC metropolitan area about an hour ago. It was the largest earthquake to hit this area in over 100 years. The epicenter was in southern Virginia, but reports are that it could be felt as far away as Canada.
It was pretty scary for the 45 seconds while it lasted. And of course, this being DC, my first thought was that we were being bombed in another terrorist attack.
All office buildings in DC were eventually evacuated. But we got the “all clear” within 30 minutes.
There are reports of minor structural damage to a few buildings, including spires falling from the National Cathedral and chimneys falling from a few homes. All I experienced though was having a few things fall off the desk and walls in my office, and I gather that the same was the case in units in my building across the Potomac in Arlington, Virginia. Therefore, I expect to be greeted by a few broken frames when I get home later.
But thank God the only real damage done was to nerves … and the egos of a few men who went screaming and running from our office building like scared little girls.
That said, to see the way it’s being covered (i.e., hyped) on the news, as well as the way most people are reacting, you’d think it was 100 times worse than the earthquake that hit Japan earlier this year. Which only reinforces our conceit about DC being the center of the universe.
Meanwhile, the aftershocks we’re experiencing are probably just reverberations from the “collective eye-rolling” of folks in California….
But AT&T has some ‘splainin to do. Because it was impossible to send or receive text messages for about 20 minutes after the earthquake hit. After the problems we experienced during 9//11, you’d think capacity would have been sufficiently enhanced to ensure functionality during incidents like this.
God help us (for many reasons) if a real disaster ever hits. We are so hopelessly unprepared….
For now though I’m really more concerned about my family and friends down in the Turks and Caicos Islands and The Bahamas who are now preparing for whatever wrath Hurricane Irene has in store.
My thoughts and prayers are with them….
NOTE: Initial reports about the earthquake being a 5.9 magnitude were revised down to 5.8.
* This commentary was originally published yesterday, Tuesday, at 3:00 pm