After News Of The World editor Andy Coulson went to work for Prime Minister David Cameron he was still receiving severance pay, health insurance and use of a company car from News Corp.
About five minutes ago I got a call from TPM Managing Editor David Kurtz telling us their building was being evacuated for what seemed like either an explosion or an earthquake. By the end of the 60 or 90 second call, it seemed clear it was an earthquake. As I was talking to him we begin to feel what I’d call very mild swaying of our 12 story building here in lower Manhattan. (Since I was being told about an apparent earthquake near DC, for a moment I think I was reacting to the power of suggestion. But everyone in the office here definitely felt it.)
Tell us what you felt, heard.
More soon.
Late Update: The USG is estimating a 5.8 earthquake centering somewhere near DC. I’m sure they know the precise epicenter. But we haven’t heard yet.
2:01 PM: Epicenter apparently in Charlottesville, VA.
2:10 PM: USGS reporting as 5.9.
2:10 PM: TPM Reader SP reports in from near the epicenter …
Reporting from Dahlgren, VA (about 50 miles south of DC): very strong shaking – enough to knock things over in my office. We had to evacuate our building. No injuries at our site. Internet working fine, cell and landline voice circuits all busy with people checking up on their loved ones.
Now we’re all waiting for aftershocks!
2:11 PM: Reports of feeling the earthquake from New Hampshire, Dedham, Mass.. We have one report of from Madison, WI from TPM Reader CH. That sounds awfully far away to feel it. So let’s be cautious about that report. But I’ll note it. Read More
It’s a perfectly clear and fall-like weekday afternoon in seismically quiescent DC, so when all of sudden our office on Capitol Hill — on the top (6th) floor of an old masonry building lurched unsettlingly — I assumed it was the demolition work going on next door. As those of us in the office gathered to figure out what it was, another shaking occurred which made me think maybe there was an explosion in the area, although there was nothing audible other than the building itself moving.
Bear in mind, at this point, maybe 15 seconds has elapsed. Then the building lurched violently, building up to such a crescendo that you had to grab the wall or furniture to keep your balance. At that point the thought of an earthquake crossed my mind, but it still seemed fantastical to consider.
It wasn’t until we saw other people on our floor heading toward the stairs and got out on the sidewalk to see people streaming out of other buildings on the street that the possibility it was an earthquake seemed even remotely plausible.
Everyone seems more bemused and puzzled than scared. But I’ll admit I was a bit scared. If I had been in California, I’d have been mentally prepared. But this was a jolt from out of the blue. Our reporters are checking in with damage reports from across DC. We’ll bring you more as we know it. You can follow regular updates here.
I want to keep the blog open. So I’m going to take this mainly after the jump. But we’re getting very geographically widespread reports of this quake. Read More
For the latest updates on the DC area earthquake and the aftermath, check out TPM Livewire.
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