Breakfast links: The earth moved
Welcome to the seismic zone
Did you know there was a Central Virginia Seismic Zone? Ever heard of Mineral, Virginia? Now you do, after Virginia’s largest earthquake since 1897. (Post)
What’s damaged
The Washington Monument’s top developed some cracks. 3 finials fell off the National Cathedral and some spires are significantly damaged. Pieces also fell from St. Peter’s on Capitol Hill, the Ecuadorian chancery, and the ceiling of Union Station. (Examiner, City Paper, Atlantic, Flickr, WAMU, AP)
What’s closed
DC public schools are closed to inspect buildings; 2 students suffered minor injuries in the quake. (WAMU) … Schools are also closed in Prince George’s, Fauquier, Culpeper and Spotsylvania counties. A few federal buildings are closed and federal workers can take unscheduled leave or telework. (Post)
Transportation bounces back
After running at 15 mph yesterday while workers inspected tracks, Metro is running at normal speeds. There are delays on the MARC Brunswick LineBrunsuck
What were you thinking?
Many people assumed the quake was a terrorist attack. That might be why many people ran for the stairs despite the danger of falling objects. Few people followed official evacuation plans, and there was little communication. (Post)
Bikes came in handy
While roads were jammed and trains slowed, many people found themselves very glad they had biked to work or really wishing they had. Capital Bikeshare stations downtown were totally cleared out hours after the quake. (TheWashCycle)
Tweets beat the quake
As explained in an xkcd comic strip, seismic waves travel much more slowly than electronic signals, allowing many people in New York and elsewhere to see tweets about the earthquake before they felt it. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Gray aides broke laws
The DC Council issued its report on hiring misdeeds from the Gray administration, pointing fingers at 3 particular top Gray aides. It doesn’t appear Gray was personally involved, but he says he takes responsibility. (Examiner)
Get ready for Irene
Hurricane Irene’s track is very uncertain, but most likely to stay along the coast causing significant damage but less to DC. (Capital Weather Gang)
Meanwhile…
Virginia had a primary yesterday. … Ashley Halsey prints another AAA press release. (Post) … Some earthquake Twitter jokes were funny. (City Paper)