About 42 million Americans were treated to a rare occurrence last Thursday morning: an earthquake shook New Jersey, and many were quick to share their stories on how they “survived” the once-in-a-couple-centuries event.
At about 10:30a.m., we here at The Messenger felt some small vibrations that we first likened to the dogs running downstairs. When we realized the pups are simply not heavy enough to cause that impact, questions of a nearby explosion or a passing fleet of heavy vehicles then arose. After a quick call to our friends in Selden, to which they excitedly answered, “did you feel the earthquake??” we knew what we had just experienced.
The earthquake measured at 4.8 on the Richter Scale and its epicenter was located in Lebanon, Tewksbury Township, New Jersey. The vibrations were felt as far north as Maine and as far south as Northern Virginia.
This was the strongest earthquake to affect the New Jersey area since 1783. That quake measured 5.3 on the Richter Scale and historical accounts show that George Washington was visiting New York City to celebrate the evacuation of British troops from New York City. He was not awoken by the tremors.
This is also the strongest earthquake to hit the NYC area since 1884, an estimated 5.0 magnitude rumble.
Thankfully, no casualties or injuries have been reported. Apart from water main breaks and “partial topplings” of three now-condemned buildings in Newark, the only other sites of damage were gas leaks in Rockland County, an administrative building in Morristown, New Jersey, and a car that fell into a sinkhole in Suffolk’s very own Huntington.
Perhaps the saddest loss in the quake was the upper portion of the historic Colonel John Taylor’s Gristmill in Readington Township, New Jersey. The mill supplied grain for the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
But overall, it’s an event most of us do not get to experience in the Northeast. And since it was not a catastrophic event, many have found the humor in the anomalous natural “disaster,” likening us to Floridians who shut down the state when there’s a half-inch of snow.
One shop in Manhattan quickly cashed in on the hype by making “I survived the NYC Earthquake – April 5, 2024” t-shirts. A picture was shared by a passerby on social media and the merchandise quickly went viral.
The Messenger congratulates all who braved the quake by sitting at their desks, driving to work, watching television, and simply going about their days normally. We wouldn’t have it any other way.
