An unprecedented 5.8 Magnitude earthquake hit the D.C. area and much of the east coast on Tuesday, sending Georgetown’s emergency responders into crisis mode. Following the thirty second long quake, the University’s Emergency Response Team rushed to evacuate students from on-campus facilities.
The quake originated in Mineral, Va., at 1:51 p.m., hitting Georgetown shortly thereafter. According to Director of Communications Rachel Pugh, floor marshals and Department of Public Safety officers evacuated students from residence halls and campus buildings once the initial shaking stopped. Still, the quake did almost no damage and left some confused as to whether the shaking had been a full-blown earthquake at all.
Boston, Ma., residents Havani Hammerall and her two high school-aged daughters, visiting Georgetown and other colleges in the D.C. area, were traveling down Massachusetts Avenue from American University when the quake hit.
“It felt like we hit gravel on the road. We didn’t even realize it was an earthquake until we came out here and [the DPS officer] said ‘Didn’t you hear the earthquake?’”
When Hammerall arrived on Georgetown’s campus, she was forcefully directed by a DPS officer. “He screamed at us, and told us to get on the sidewalk and pipe down,” she said.
Individual DPS officers were directing some students to gather on Harbin football field. They encouraged onlookers to stay out of the roads.
At 2:32 p.m., the University sent a message through the HOYAlert text message system urging students to evacuate and stay out of doors until further notice.
“A HOYAlert was sent as soon as we confirmed that the event was an earthquake. Due to the large regional area affected by the earthquake communication via internet, phones, and cell phones was delayed for hundreds and thousands of people,” Pugh wrote in an email.
She said the University anticipated this communication jam and deployed floor marshals via radio.
After the quake, internal and outside experts conducted on-site examinations of campus buildings to assess safety conditions, ranging from structural integrity to the functioning of utilities and water supply. No damage was found.
