New York:
An earthquake rocked the city that never sleeps on Friday, shaking diplomats at the United Nations Security Council in their chairs, briefly grounding planes and rattling furniture across New York.
However, no one was injured and New York’s iconic skyline remained intact.
“I’m fine,” the Empire State Building wrote on its X account.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the magnitude of the earthquake was 4.8.
“I’m still shaking,” said Dominika Uniejewska, a 50-year-old retail worker who was awakened by the quake near the epicenter in Lebanon, New Jersey.
I’m okay
— Empire State Building (@EmpireStateBldg) April 5, 2024
“I’ve never experienced an earthquake this strong. I’ve experienced some before, but it was nothing in comparison. The whole house was shaking. The bed was shaking, the house was rumbling,” she said.
“I ran to check on my dog. The dog was okay.”
In Brooklyn, buildings shook and cabinet doors and fixtures rattled, AFP reporters reported.
“I’m nervous, I’m shaking. A lot of people are scared right now,” said Ana Villagran, 62, a Brooklyn resident.
An aftershock struck the area shortly before 6:00 pm (2200 GMT), which the USGS said was magnitude 4.0.
Empire State Building on X: “I’m still fine.”
At the New York-based United Nations, a Security Council meeting on the situation in Gaza was temporarily suspended after an initial shock.
“Is this an earthquake?” said Janti Soeripto, a Save the Children representative who spoke at the time. One diplomat joked: “One is a memoir.”
‘Under control’
Soon after, many diplomats’ cellphones rang with the sound of emergency warning systems confirming the earthquake.
“Residents are advised to stay indoors and call 911 if injured,” the emergency alert said.
Flight operations have been halted at several airports in the region, including New York’s LaGuardia Airport, New Jersey’s Newark Airport and Philadelphia Airport.
“Air traffic operations are resuming as quickly as possible,” the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.
Social media users reported feeling the quake from Philadelphia to New York and east along Long Island.
Some users posted images of overturned garden furniture with the caption “We will rebuild”.
The U.S. Geological Survey writes on “
The USGS says moderately damaging earthquakes occur somewhere in urban corridors about two times every century, and smaller earthquakes about once every two to three years.
U.S. President Joe Biden was briefed on the situation, spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Social media users jokingly questioned whether an earthquake in the days leading up to the April 8 solar eclipse, which will be visible across much of the northeastern United States, heralded the end of the world.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul acknowledged that New Yorkers were “not used” to earthquakes and warned residents at a hastily called news conference to be wary of any possible aftershocks.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
