A magnitude 6.4 earthquake hit about 80 miles northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico, at 12:01 a.m. Monday and was felt in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, according to geologist Jose Martinez at the Puerto Rico Seismic Network.
It did not cause any threat of a tsunami, Martinez said Monday morning. “And there were no reports of damage.”
Martinez said an earthquake of that magnitude causes buildings to shake and, according to a press release from the V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency, Puerto Rico residents reported items falling in their homes and buildings swaying.
Coincidently this earthquake came just several hours after the four-year anniversary of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010. According to published news reports, 1.5 million people were left homeless and there are still 150,000 people in temporary accommodations.
Martinez said there was no relationship between the Haiti earthquake and the one that was felt Monday.
By 10:30 a.m. Monday, reports of aftershocks continued with a couple in the 4.5 magnitude range. Most were smaller.
Martinez said this in common after a major earthquake.
Monday’s earthquake struck about 122 miles from St. Thomas and 161 miles from St. Croix, VTIEMA reported. It was located at 19.1 degrees north latitude and 66.8 degrees west longitude.The earthquake happened about 22 miles under the sea floor.
In St. John, two residents said they felt it.
“It woke me up,” Paula Savel said, adding that she thought it was an earthquake, but her husband disagreed.
Pat Lodge was awake, but thought it was her partner turning over in bed. “It was very faint,” Lodge said.
However, Lodge said she does have concerns about tsunamis. While she lives high up in the hills, she said she wondered if she was in Cruz Bay when and earthquake hit, where would she go.
Martinez said that in case people weren’t paying attention already, they should use this earthquake as a reminder that they need to have an emergency plan in place.
“Be prepared,” he said.
VITEMA Director Elton Lewis pointed out that the entire Caribbean is an active seismic zone and earthquakes can occur without warning.
“We continue to urge citizens to take time now to learn more about how to be ready for this type of event, especially the three basic steps to know when an earthquake occurs – drop, cover under something sturdy and hold on until the shaking stops. We also encourage residents to earthquake-proof their homes to prevent injuries from falling objects,” Lewis said.
For more information about earthquake preparedness, visit www.VITEMA.gov.
