Palmer, Forks all shook up by quake

There was a "whole lotta shakin' goin on" at the Palmer Township Municipal Building Tuesday afternoon.

"We thought it was our building," said a female municipal employee who wished to remain anonymous. "We didn't know if there was a boiler explosion or a sinkhole or what. The whole building just shook. We were like, 'what was that?'"

Workers evacuated for several minutes to the lawn outside during Tuesday's 5.9 earthquake, which was centered northwest of Richmond, VA but could be felt from Massachusetts to Florida and right here at home.

Margaret Sobiesiek and Renata Federyszak, both of Forks Township, were sitting on a blanket in the community park watching their children play when suddenly something felt funny.

 "The ground felt like we were sitting on jelly," Sobiesiek said. "I thought my body was shaking. It was such a different experience. I never experienced anything quite like it."

Federyszak said she immediately called for her children to leave the playground and come sit on the blanket.

 "We though that people were going to think we were crazy," she said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was half-a-mile deep and was centered near Louisa, VA, about 40 miles northwest of Richmond.

Shaking was felt at the White House and all over the East Coast as far south as Charleston, S.C. Parts of the Pentagon, White House and Capitol were evacuated.

Jeremy and Sarah Bialker were walking in the community park, pushing their son Jameson in a stroller.

But they didn't feel a thing.

"I got a text from my brother in Philadelphia," Jeremy said. "I was like, 'Did I feel what?'"

"We were a little freaked out for about 10 minutes," Sarah said. "We were a little scared. When we went to walk again, it felt like we had sea legs. It was in our minds."

Sandra Ferris of Martins Creek was visiting her daughter's home in Palmer Township, but didn't feel the earthquake.

"My other daughter called me from Allentown to ask if I felt it," she said. "I was surprised. It was scary. I didn't want to mention it to my grandson because he knows that this is a place where earthquakes don't happen."

For Sobiesiek, who moved to Forks Township recently from Poland, the experience was nerve rattling. 

"They usually happen in California," she said. "It was very scary. You have no control over it."