East Coast Earthquake Temporarily Shut Down Holland Tunnel, Grounded Flights

The New York City area is facing travel complications after a rare earthquake struck the East Coast.

“This is one of the largest earthquakes on the East Coast to occur in the last century,” Hochul said at the State Capitol in Albany according to theNew York Times, adding that infrastructure inspections would be taken “extremely seriously.”

A map showing the epicenter of an earthquake on the East Coast of the U.S. on Friday, April 5, 2024.U.S. Geological Survey via AP

U.S. Geological Survey via AP

The quake, whichstruckjust before 10:30 a.m. local time, was centered near Lebanon, New Jersey, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said earlier Friday.

The Fire Department of New Yorksaid in a post on X(formerly known as Twitter) that there were “no major incidents at this time," but they were “responding to calls and evaluating structural stability.”

Around 11 a.m., emergency phone alerts stated, “A 4.7-magnitude earthquake has occurred in the NYC area. Residents are advised to remain indoors and to call 911 if injured.”

Initially, the USGS reported a 4.8-magnitude quake, according toCNN. It was then adjusted to 4.7 before being revised back to 4.8. The agencysaidearthquakes are “uncommon but not unheard of along the Atlantic Coast.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Vehicles approach the Holland Tunnel in Jersey City, New Jersey.Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty

Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty

NBC Newsreported that the earthquake was the strongest in the state in almost 250 years, per state data.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a news conference, perCBS News, that while there are concerns about aftershocks, “New Yorkers should go about their normal day. First responders are working to make sure the city’s safe.”

Later in the day, Murphy advised N.J. residents during a video press conference: “Just don’t panic, keep a level head.”

“If upon an eyeball inspection, you see something that doesn’t look right, make sure a professional knows about that,” he added, per theTimes.“Do the common-sense-based thing.”

source: people.com