Update: Earthquake Impact in Fairfax, McLean Back to Normal

Update 5:18 p.m. Dranesville Supervisor John Foust sent along this update on the earthquake impact in Fairfax County:

County Building Damage:  Very minor damage reported to some
county buildings.  Buildings are still being assessed.

o    Injuries: None reported at this time

o    Fatalities: None reported at this time

o    Fairfax County Government: All courts are closed.

o    Transportation: Metro trains are operational at 15 mph.
Conducting inspection of tracks. Significant delays throughout the
region in all modes.

o    Schools: Damage very minor to some schools. Their Department
Operations Center is up and running, will report damage. 

Polling stations at schools are operational even if they are in the parking lots.

 All afternoon and evening activities
have been cancelled, such as.
*    extracurricular activities
*    interscholastic contests
*    team practices
*    professional learning and training courses
*    all adult and community education classes
*    recreation programs and community use

o    Parks are still open.

o    Infrastructure:
o    Electrical: status checked, no impact

o    Washington Gas: status checked, normal operations, evacuated
non-essential personnel from the building, dispatching still ongoing

o    Fairfax Water Authority: status checked, normal operations, call
center has been closed until Wednesday;

o    Falls Church Water Authority: normal operations

o    Verizon: status checked, no impact

o    Waste water reports minor damage in a pumping station but
operating normally.

You can check here for more Fairfax County updates.

Update 4:52 p.m. McLean neighbor Jeanne McChesney reported the earthquake this way: "There was just a violent rumble of the earth in the McLean Hunt area. It knocked pictures off the wall and broke them. There was a terrible rumble and everything in the house shook violently. I rushed outside and my neighbors from across the stree indicated the same thing. All of the pictures in my den are askew. . .  It lasted less than a minute, but it did some damage to pictures and items falling off shelves."

Update 4:41 p.m. Today's primary elections will continue as scheduled until 7 p.m., according to Fairfax County government.

Minor damage reported in Fairfax County.

Fairfax County Public Schools activities are cancelled this evening.

Areas in schools that have polling places for the Virginia primary elections will remain open until the polls close.

Courthouse and Massey Building closed for the day.

Libraries: City of Fairfax and Pohick Regional closed.
Due to the closure of the Cary Building, tonight’s STD Clinic, 4:30 – 6 p.m., at the Health Department’s Springfield District Office has been moved to the Joseph Willard Health Center in the city of Fairfax, located at 3750 Old Lee Highway, 703-246-7100, TTY711.

Visit the Health Department Web page for updated information.

VDOT crews checking VA bridges. Please report any road alerts to 1-800-FOR-ROAD.

Earthquake Tips:
Check on neighbors, don't call 9-1-1 unless emergency.
Tell your friends & family you are OK via text, email, twitter, facebook and other social media. Avoid calling.
What to do after an earthquake.
Earthquake Preparedness Tips

Update 4:10pm. McLean has settled down following the earthquake.

Diners went back to a late lunch. Customers at Greenberrys were chatting on the patio. Office workers returned to work.

Experts are saying there will be aftershocks.

When you get home this evening, you may find a few books on the floor. Some toppled crystal. Bottles on the floor especially in the bathroom.

'I felt a little bit scared because in my country we have a little problem with earthquakes,"said Jaime Rodriguez, a native of Chile who is a waiter at Pulcinella's Italian restaurant on Old Dominion Drive.

"It's an incredible experience in this area," he said.

Pulcinella's  manager is also a veteran of earthquakes --- he's from Sicily.

"I was looking at the lights. I saw the lights moving and I think this is an earthquake," said Raffaele Spadaro. "As soon as I saw the intensity I went outside," he said.

He remembered an earthquake in Sicily during Christmas in the early 1990's. That was his first.

Update: 3:19p.m. Cell phone service seems to be out in parts of McLean.

Here is FEMA information on what to do after an earthquake.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell says: We are currently working with federal, state and local agencies to assess the situation and determine if there has been any damage resulting from today’s 5.9 magnitude earthquake which was centered near Mineral in Louisa County.

As part of this effort we are in touch with officials around the state. All indications are that emergency response plans and orderly evacuations have gone well today, and I thank all involved.

In the wake of the earthquake, I would like to encourage all Virginians to check on neighbors and loved ones to ensure that everyone is safe and to continue cooperating with law enforcement and emergency responders working in your neighborhood.

Update: 3:16.Please *only* call 911 for police, fire or medical emergencies.   Request from Fairfax County.

Update 2:45 pm: There are no power outages reported in McLean and just a handful in all of Fairfax County.

The earthquake affected a large part of the Washington Metro area.

Original Story: The ground shook violently for about five second in parts of downtown McLean about 2 p.m. sending office workers and diners at restaurants fleeing from buildings.

What we felt as a 5.8 magnitude earthquake that occurred in the area of Mineral, Va. There is no known infrastructure damage in Fairfax county at this time, the county said in an alert.

Mineral, Va is located east of Charlottesville and south of Fredericksburg.

In McLean, the tremor started slowly then grew and customers, including McLean Patch fled outside.

Finally the shaking stopped. (Although we are still shaking.)

"My house shook violently for a minute. I thought the furnace was blowing. I didn't know whether to leave the house or stay in. I stayed in," said Judi Hasson, a McLean resident and frequent contributor to McLean Patch.