The 4.8 magnitude earthquake near New York has been reported to not have left immediate damage

Sofia Weissenborn Rodriguez

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Source: New York Times

Last Friday, April the 5th, at 10:23 a.m, an earthquake of magnitude 4.8 (1.0 being the lowest, 9.9 the highest magnitude in the Richter Scale) was reported in the northeastern region of the US.

The epicenter was the Whitehouse Station which is 40 miles away from New York City. The bedrock rupture was 2.9 miles, according to the United States geological survey.

Earthquakes in this region are common including small temblors. But the last one had more strength and was more intense than the rest.

In New Jersey the earthquake had minor aftershocks, being 2.2 magnitude at 1:32. The New York Police have not reported any immediate damage. In the east coast airports, the air traffic has been stopped during the earthquake but has been restored immediately after.

Mayor Eric Adams has said that there are no impact/injuries and assures the continuation of inspections of the infrastructure. The NY population must be alert but keep continuing their regular activities, he argues. Also, President Joe Biden has offered help to Phil Murphy, governor of New Jersey, if needed.

In addition, in the public schools sector, everything seems normal, according to the NYC school chancellor. The NY police department has not found any structural damage, also not in the subway system. The only damage that happened in the aftermath was a gas leak in Rockland county which was easily solved.

During the earthquake, the emergency operation center activated the phone line 911, underlining the importance of only calling if the emergency was real. Some New Yorkers received a beeping alert on their telephones at 11:02, 40 min after the earthquake. Mr. Adams, responsible for the issue, has been criticised for repeated response delays like in case of wildfire smokes and floods.

The last earthquakes in this region were reported last year in February (3.6 magnitude) and March (2.2 magnitude). In 2011, the northeastern US population experienced a 5.8 earthquake causing the evacuation in office buildings and City halls in Manhattan.