Community Corner
Earthquake Felt Across FL; No Tsunami Threat
An earthquake of at least a 6.1 magnitude off the coast of Cuba was felt in parts of FL, the US Geological Survey said.
A 6.1 magnitude earthquake about 104 km (65 miles) off the coast of Cuba, northwest of Manuta, rocked the island nation on Monday afternoon, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Light shaking from the earthquake could be felt in locations across South and Central Florida, on both coasts, and as far north as Tallahassee and Jacksonville, according to experiences that people self-reported to the USGS.
The U.S. Tsunami Warning Center said there is no tsunami danger from the earthquake, which happened around 2 p.m.
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The Tsunami Warning Center, which falls under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said the earthquake registered at a 6.4 magnitude.
St. Petersburg resident Elsie Gilmore said that she “thought [her] building was falling into a sinkhole.”
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She told Patch, “I was sitting at my desk and realized my monitor was shaking. Then I saw the water in my glass was moving. I got up, confused, and looked back to see my opened laptop screen was also moving. I kept watching my water until it stopped, could've been 30 seconds to a minute.”
Gimore didn’t realize it was an earthquake until she read about it online.
Hypnotherapist Sherri L. Hanner, also a St. Petersburg resident, said that she was in a session with a client when “the light started shaking, the TV started shaking, and [she and her] client both felt it big time.”
Hanner added, “Can you imagine being in a deep trance and experiencing this? It kind of freaked us both out a little bit.”
Crystal Farina was outside the Crunch Gym on U.S. Highway 19 in Clearwater when the rumbling made her pause.
“Oh my god, I felt it in my parked and idle car around 2 p.m. I was simultaneously tapping my foot. I thought about an earthquake and figured I'm REALLY losing it,” she told Patch.
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