VA/DC Earthquake Felt in New Rochelle

The ground beneath the feet of New Rochelle residents and workers literally shook Tuesday afternoon at about 1:55 p.m. when an earthquake hit the area.

Alison Pinsley of Bronxville was at work on the seventh floor of 145 Huguenot Street when her chair began to sway.

"I thought something was wrong with me," she said, "until everyone in the department started talking about it, and we started checking on line for any information."

The quake's epicenter was northwest of Richmond, VA, and U.S. geological officials are saying it was a 5.8 magnitude quake. In the metropolitan area—including New Rochelle—the quake was about a 2.2, sources are reporting.

New Rochelle's Assistant City Manager Omar Small said he did not feel the quake in his City Hall office.

He said he has not been told of any local damage.

"We are monitoring the situation and we will be ready to respond" if there are any aftershocks, Small said.

Jerry Nappi, Indian Point Energy Center spokesperson, said both reactors are operating normally at full power.

"There are no reports of any damage on site," he said.

Barb Francella of New Rochelle was working in her basement home office with her husband Kevin when the quake happened.

"We both said, 'What the heck?' simultaneously," she said. "For a second, I thought my daughter Kelsey, who is packing for college, pulled something heavy out of the closet upstairs and dropped it, but the shaking kept going."

Francella went upstairs, but her daughter didn't feel it.

Kevin Francella got a call from a colleague in Connecticut asking if he felt the tremor.

Barb Francella said she posted on Facebook about the quake and saw the social media site filled with earthquake-related messages. Her inbox was also full of emails about it.

When asked if she immediately tuned to a television news channel, she said no.

"I learned more on Facebook about the extent than I would on TV," Francella said, "so I didn't bother turning it on."

Her husband, however, turned on the radio, she said.

The earthquake was felt up and down the east coast, authorities are reporting, and as far north as Toronto.

Francella said she lived in San Francisco for a couple years and experienced earthquakes.

"I thought [this one] felt the same," she said, "but less jarring."

In Briarcliff Manor, one Patch employee shared her experience:

"It was a strange sensation," said Lanning Taliaferro, associate regional editor for Patch.com, who was at the Tuscan Grille when she felt the tremor.

"It felt like a bump from below," she said. "I thought maybe a truck dropped something outside the restaurant."

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4:15 p.m., Aug. 23, 2011: Gov. Andrew Cuomo has released a statement saying that the "state is initiating comprehensive reviews of critical and sensitive infrastructure including the state’s hydroelectric plants, nuclear power plants, key bridges and tunnels and other assets."

Cuomo said he is "getting regular reports from agencies all over the state and at this time there are no reports of damage or power outages."

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article has been modified from the original version to include comments on Indian Point and to reflect the USGS's downgrade of the earthquake's magnitude to 5.8 from 5.9.