Earthquake Aftermath: Hudson County Officials Discuss Impacts

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — Residents in Hoboken and Jersey City felt the effects of two earthquakes on Friday — one that was 4.8 magnitude around 10:30 a.m., and the other a 4.0 around 5:59 p.m.

After the first quake, Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla asked residents not to call 911 unless it was "a true emergency" and said officials were assessing potential damage to buildings and infrastructure.

At the end of Friday, Hoboken Public Safety Spokeswoman Marci Rubin said, "We had no reports of any unsafe conditions, injuries, or damage due to the earthquake. Thank goodness! Public safety did inspect some buildings and infrastructure out of an abundance of caution earlier today."

Here is the forecast for aftershocks in the next week.

Hudson County Commissioner Bill O'Dea of Jersey City wrote in the morning, "Moments ago, we experienced an earthquake in Jersey City. I am glad to hear that everyone is safe so far."

The first earthquake was detected with an epicenter seven kilometers north northeast of Whitehouse Station in New Jersey, according to the United States Geological Survey, which monitors earthquakes.

Experts said Friday that aftershocks of varying intensity could arrive any time in the next few days and weeks.

On Twitter, one Jersey City resident wrote on Friday morning, "I'm in Jersey City and my coworkers were like don't worry it was just a truck passing? 20 minutes later we get an alert."

Another resident described the feeling as similar to being on a boat.

Jersey City-based artist Amy Wilson noted:

Here is a list of significant quakes to hit New Jersey. In North Jersey, a significant multistate quake was felt throughout the area in 2011.

Got a photo of quake damage in your town? Send it to Patch.