Virginia Quake Sways Babylon Village Hall

An in Virginia just before 2 p.m. Tuesday resonated up the eastern shore line, shaking homes and buildings throughout Long Island.

In Babylon Village, Mayor Ralph Scordino noticed it when a shelf of Yankee ornaments began swaying all of a sudden.

"I'm sitting at my desk and look over and I see them moving and I held the ledge thinking, 'What is this?'" said Scordino, whose office on the second floor of village town hall on Main Street swayed during the event.

"I was just sitting and thought 'holy smoke,'" he added.

No emergencies were reported in the village due to the episode and the mayor's office fielded about half a dozen calls regarding the incident, he said.

Some other local residents, sharing on social network sites, reported office buildings swaying in Lindenhurst. But one Babylon Village resident related she didn't notice any movement in her home during the event.

Many local residents took to Facebook, Twitter and phone lines to text and call family members and emergency lines to find out what had taken place.

County Executive Steve Levy was on the 12th floor of the H. Lee Dennison Building in Hauppauge when the quake hit.

"We had just finished an emergency practice drill less than an hour beforehand," said Levy, noting that the building swayed. "One of the things that went through my mind was that someone bombed the building, and maybe this drill wasn't such a drill.

"But thankfully no one was injured, and this is what you train for," Levy added.

Levy said there have been no reports of injuries in the county due to the quake. 

Police are asking those who wish to report non-emergency incidents resulting from the earthquake, such as downed trees or wires to call the Suffolk County Police Department’s non-emergency line at 631-852-COPS or 911 in the event of an emergency.

You can see exactly where the earthquake struck in Virginia here.

Where were you when the quake's impact hit the village? Are you prepared for an earthquake or any natural disaster event?

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