Quake Causes Some Damage, Closures
The 5.8-magnitude quake that shook most of the East Coast from Georgia to Massachusetts rattled scores of NPS offices and park facilities and led to some closures in Washington. The following reports have been received:
- Washington Parks - The Washington Monument was closed following the quake in order to properly evaluate the structure. An inspection revealed some cracking in the stones at the top of the monument. Structural engineers will evaluate the cracks today to determine the best way to make repairs before reopening the monument. The Washington Monument grounds have been reopened except for an area about 100 feet outside of the plaza. The Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials were closed for a short period of time as a precaution, but reopened to the public yesterday evening. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, the World War II Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Korean War Memorial remain open. The Old Post Office Tower will open this morning at 9 a.m.
- Washington Office - Both the Main Interior and Eye Street offices were closed in mid-afternoon and employees were released. The action was precautionary, allowing assessments to be made of facilities and clearing structures in case of serious aftershocks. Similar actions were taken by almost all other agencies in the Washington area. The Main Interior Building remains closed today pending further inspections. South Interior is also closed, but the Eye Street building will reopen on schedule this morning.
- Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania Courthouse NMP - Some pictures fell off walls and there may be some cracked walls.
- Richmond NBP - The park reports no damage.
- Colonial NHP - The quake was felt at both the Yorktown and Jamestown Visitor Centers, but no damage was found at either facility.
