Township Residents React to Quake

struck northern Virginia just before 2 p.m. Tuesday, sending tremors north into southern New Jersey and beyond.

Many Gloucester Township residents felt the shaking when the quake struck.

“Honestly, I thought my brother was jumping around and then I realized the whole fridge was moving,” said Jessica Howie, of Sicklerville. “That's when I realized that something else was going on. I ran outside and all my neighbors were out there and we were all just kind of shocked and laughing about it.”

There have been no reports of from the earthquake in the Gloucester Township area, but shock still remains for residents, as many couldn't believe an earthquake of that magnitude could hit this close to home.

“We don't get earthquakes here in New Jersey, so there was total disbelief, even though the whole house was shaking,” said Mike Zink, of Sicklerville. “I was the only one who had been through prior earthquakes so I knew what was happening, and that it was a pretty strong one.

"I thought the earthquake was here in the Delaware Valley fault line, but it turned out to be in Virginia, some 200, 300 miles away. That shocked me that it was so far from here.”

Turon Green, a Sicklerville resident who was in at the time of the earthquake, was one of the few who didn't feel it when it happened.

“A lot of people were coming in and talking about it,” said Green. “They were saying that they felt cars shaking, lights shaking, stuff like that. Everything is OK here, though.”

Some people compared the quake to one that hit South Jersey in the early 1980s. However, everyone seemed to agree that Tuesday's quake was stronger than that one.

“Years ago, when I was a kid, we had one,” Howie said. “The funny thing is that in my room, there's a bookcase that I have. I remember opening my eyes and seeing the bookcase shake. And when I was upstairs, I had that same exact bookcase that I kept with me. The same started happening again today, except the bookcase was in the hallway.”

“About half the time I've been to California, there's been a quake,” Zink said. “This must have been the strongest one I've been through.”

Some, like Erial resident Marne Poole, had their thoughts on the people in Virginia, where the epicenter of the earthquake was located.

“I was just thinking about the people in Virginia,” said Poole. “I hope that they are all OK. I was just worried about family members down there.”