Rumson and Fair Haven Feel Virginia's 5.9 Magnitude Earthquake

Some Rumson and Fair Haven residents have reported feeling the Virginia earthquake reported shortly before 2 p.m. today.

Amy Clark, a Rumson resident, was at the on River Rd. and said she felt the tremors in the parking lot.

Residents on Parker Ave. in Fair Haven ran out of their homes not sure of what was happening. "Everything upstairs started shaking. I initially thought my house was caving in," said one resident.

Over in Rumson on Woods End Rd., Roberta Van Anda said she didn't know what was happening at first. "I thought I was having a dizzy spell, but then I noticed everything shaking and the cats came running up the stairs. We really felt it here!"

Van Anda's neighbor, Beliza Furman, said her keyboard fell right off the desk onto the floor and the water in her hot tub was spewing out the top.

Patch readers are responding on Facebook and Twitter @RumsonPatch as well. Marlena Brothers Frank wrote on the Rumson-Patch Facebook page, "Our whole building on Brookdale's campus felt like it was coming down."

Mark Wellner, superintendent of the Rumson Department of Public Works, said no damage has been reported, but that he felt the quake in his office when his computer and chair started shaking.

The quake registered a magnatude 5.9, upgraded from an original report of 5.8, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, which tracks earthquakes. It was centered in Mineral, Virginia, southwest of Washington D.C., in the center of the state.

The earthquake felt throughout the region today matches the largest earthquake ever recorded in Virginia. The last was in 1897 and located in Giles County, Virginia. It also registered a 5.9 magnatude, according to the geological survey.

The USGS is asking those who felt the earthquake to fill out an online survey to assist their information gathering.

Numerous phone companies advised customers to text or e-mail and avoid making calls to cut down on call volume and improve cell service. Those companies included T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon.

"Seeing no reports of damage to our wireless network. There was some network congestion in the East after tremors," Verizon spokesman David Samberg posted on Twitter.

Trains, buses and light rail are all operating and NJTransit tickets are being cross-honored, Governor Chris Christie said in a statement.

measures after its sensors registered the quake.

Once the seismic event was verified the plant went into an "unusual event," which is considered the lowest level of their emergency plan, spokesperson Suzanne D’Ambrosio said. This activates the plant’s emergency response organization and emergency response procedures.

“While in the usual event, the plant operators and emergency personnel will walk the entire site to make sure nothing was affected by seismic event itself,” she said.

The plant is still at full power and the plant will be able to provide further information on the impact of the earthquake once it becomes available.

Oyster Creek, which began commercial operations in 1969, is the oldest operating nuclear plant in the country and provides enough around-the-clock electricity for 600,000 New Jersey homes.

Likewise,  were taken off line by safety systems when the quake hit.

A senior Obama administration told the Washington Post that the White House “shook pretty hard.”

Other Capitol buildings were also evacuated.

According to the Federal Emergency Management Association, New Jersey ranks low on the list of states at risk for experiencing an earthquake.

Northern New Jersey is put in a category that's low on the list and described as "having a hazard shaking of moderate intensity," which could be felt by all and could lead to slight damage.

Southern New Jersey is put in a category described as having "a small probability of experiencing damaging earth­quake effects."