Thursday, August 23, 2012
The earthquake that struck Mineral, Va. in 2011 rippled over to Northern Virginia.
A year ago Thursday, an area known for its political shakeups was shaken by a 5.8 magnitude earthquake. The rattling began at 1:51 p.m. with an epicenter in central Virginia, about 84 miles from the Washington, D.C. metro region where many in the midst of their workday felt the shaking. Any damage to the Centreville and Chantilly area was quite minimal, but it was certainly an event that most people will remember for a long time. At Bull Run Elementary School, election officials had to set up the voting booths outside after the quake. There were concerns that the building had suffered some damage, so for safety's sake, voters cast their ballots outdoors. Perhaps the local who might remember the quake most vividly, though, is Barbara …
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Centreville resident Barbara Prescop was vacationing in Mineral, Va. when the earthquake struck. Here are her photos of the earthquake's damage.
Longtime Centreville resident Barbara Prescop was vacationing in Mineral, Va., when an earthquake struck earlier this week. Prescop snapped these photos the day after the quake, which she shared with Patch readers. The epicenter of the quake took place in Mineral, a tiny rural town about 85 miles south of Washington D.C. There were no fatalities, but many of the buildings were severely damaged, according to the New York Times. Hurricane Irene may cause further damage this weekend. "This is the first time I ever looked forward to leaving," Prescop said of her normally serene getaway.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
When a crisis occurs, having a plan can help keep loved ones safe and sound.
Californians may be chuckling at Virginia’s just-shy-of-significant earthquake Tuesday. However, since living in Virginia I’ve come to the conclusion that if someone says, “Oh, a hurricane/tornado/blizzard/earthquake? Virginia never gets that,” we’re doomed to experience that particular phenomenon. Not only do Virginians experience these “once-in-a-lifetime” natural disasters, we do it horribly. We panic, leave work and get stuck in gridlock. Therefore, after this week’s earthquake, and with Hurricane Irene on the warpath, I thought it’d be a good time to review (make up) our family emergency plan. Here are some ways you can prepare, so when we get hit by a meteor—because “that could never happen in Virginia”—you will have response …
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Employees were filming a FaceBook ad at the time of the temblor.
Employees at a Chantilly automobile repair shop were filming a customer-service ad for their Facebook page Tuesday afternoon when the earthquake struck, visibly shaking the room and sending the shop general manager to the floor. The film was meant as a short promo for two new VIP customer waiting rooms that had been installed at G & C Tire & Auto Service, on Willard Rd., said David Harmon, the shop’s general manager. On the film, Harmon introduces himself and is quickly cut short when the room starts to shake violently, a lamp rattles in the background and Harmon asks the cameraman “do you feel that?” The camera is thrown around wildly, just swinging around at the last minute to show Harmon on the floor behind a heavy office chair as an…
Barbara Prescop was vacationing in Mineral, Va. when the quake hit.
Every year Barbara Prescop, a longtime Centreville resident and teacher at Rocky Run Middle School in Chantilly, visits rural Lake Anna by Mineral, Va., for some much-needed rest and relaxation before the summer ends. But on Tuesday, Prescop's normally quiet afternoon walk along the lake with her dogs took an unexpected turn, as the very ground shook beneath their feet. "It was pretty intense," she said. "I was walking up a hill and it was like the ground was rolling. I had to struggle to keep my balance. It sounded like rolling thunder," Prescop said. "It was very loud. The power plant is just around the corner from me so I thought maybe something was wrong with that." Tuesday's earthquake originated in Mineral, Va. and the shock of it …
Voting officials at Bull Run couldn't continue work inside; so they set up shop outside.
Update: Bull Run Elementary School is closed Wednesday. Talk about rocking the vote: when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit Centreville this afternoon, election officials at Bull Run Elementary School didn't bat an eye after they found out the building might be damaged. They simply scooped up the voting machines and paper ballots, and carried them outside, cords dangling. Voters apparently weren't phased by the earthquake and continued to cast their ballots outside throughout the afternoon, officials said. "It's almost as if we were inside," John Kuchenbrod, the chief election officer said, as he and three other officials stood outside the elementary school on a comfortably warm, sunny afternoon. "In fact, there is no difference when the …
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Centreville and areas along the East Coast today.
A 5.9 magnitude earthquake rolled through Centreville, throughout Northern Virginia and along the East Coast on Tuesday afternoon. For some Centreville residents, the quake was little more than a momentary shaking, a puzzling disruption to the day. For others, it was a frightening, dangerous experience. Bill Gipson, a drilling contractor for Wolverine Contracting, felt the quake while in eastbound lanes of traffic on Interstate 66, near Exit 52. “I was sitting in traffic and the truck just started shaking and rocking back and forth,” he said. “I took my CD out and the radio was talking about an earthquake.” After the shaking stopped, Gipson, of Centreville, was able to make it back home without incident. It was at least as bad as some of…
Mary C. Stachyra
10:00 pm on Sunday, August 28, 2011
Poor Mineral! They just had another aftershock tonight. Magnitude 2.3. more ›