It was about 30 miles east of here. The scary part is it's literally a few miles from a nuclear power plant (North Anna). The local news reported that the nuke plant is okay.
I was at Wintergreen resort (about 30 miles west of Charlottesville) when it happened. The house shook and then started mildly swaying. The temblor lasted for about 45 seconds, it seemed like much longer. We've had a few aftershocks, very mild ones.
My wife was at home, said dishes were rattling and the floor shook. It got so bad that she ran in the hall and stood in a doorway. She said our cat went nuts and started to run all over the place, dogs howling, etc.
Apparently there's little to no damage in Charlottesville. There may be some closer to the epicenter near Mineral, which thankfully is a very rural area with only a few small towns nearby.
Brick structures, especially old brick structures with no basement foundation are the most vulnerable. Unlike frame houses which have some flexibility, brick is rigid and will crumble if the quake is strong enough.
We had a lighter quake here a few years ago, which prompted me to purchase earthquake coverage on my homeowners policy. Your polciy provides no quake coverage unless you request and pay extra for it.
What's next, pestilence and famine? Sheesh . . .
