Earthquake Rattles Buildings, New Yorkers Across Metro Area

As Gov. Kathy Hochul was working to finish a “once in a lifetime” housing package Friday, the earth shook.

Not because of the legislation, though. A 4.8 magnitude earthquake rattled the metropolitan area and beyond at 10:23 a.m. The epicenter was in Central Jersey, 50 miles west of New York City.

It was among the strongest quakes the Northeast has experienced in the past century.

City and state officials are out checking buildings and critical infrastructure, but initially, no damage or injuries were reported.

During a press conference, Department of Buildings Commissioner James Oddo said the agency’s construction enforcement unit is inspecting buildings and increasing the number of emergency response team staffers working this weekend.

The city has more than 1.1 million buildings, Oddo said, so construction professionals should look over their sites and New Yorkers should take note of any new cracks or damage to their buildings.

“You need to go out and check on your buildings, even if those sites are closed,” the commissioner said.

In a press release, the agency warned that cranes, scaffolding, hoists and other building attachments could have come loose during the earthquake. It recommended that owners and managers of buildings where maintenance has been deferred or is otherwise in a “delicate condition” should seek professional advice about how best to secure them.

The same advice applies to construction sites. Non-life threatening issues should be reported to 311, but if a building seems structurally compromised, call 911, the department said.

In a separate press conference, state officials said planes at area airports were grounded, though flights were able to continue at LaGuardia thanks to recent upgrades at the facility.

Hochul joked that the only seismic event expected this week was a “once in a lifetime” housing deal that lawmakers are trying to include in the overdue state budget legislation. Negotiations for that will likely continue through the weekend.