Chimney-Crumbler Startles Residents

Seven nuclear power plants,including Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island and New York's Indian Point,declared an Unusual Event-the lowest level of emergency-and the Pentagon was evacuated as a rare Mid-Atlantic earthquake struck at about 1352 hours on Tuesday afternoon.Working in my office,I felt a moderate up-and-down shaking for about thirty seconds.It was enough to inspire fear of property damage,though not for life and limb.A few minor injuries and perhaps several dozen crumbling facades and chimneys throughout the area resulted from the late summer incident,while a handful of unoccupied cars were crushed by debris near the epicenter of Mineral,Virginia.Some of the pinnacles of Washington's National Cathedral were also damaged,and the cathedral's bookstore experienced items tumbling off the shelves.
In Fredericksburg,Virginia,a section of downtown was evacuated as a gas line ruptured and leaked into the sewer system.Twenty-five buildings were damaged in the town's historic district,mostly bricks collapsing and threatening pedestrians.A Lowe's big box store suffered a roof breach and water damage.
Airports throughout the region suspended operations into the late afternoon.Structural engineers began inspecting buildings,a process expected to continue through the night.The U.S. Capitol and Washington Monument were evacuated as a precaution as the region's emergency procedures went into effect.Roads clogged as federal employees were dismissed early while buildings were assessed.
Bank of America evacuated 20 branches during the quake.
Near the epicenter of the 5.8 magnitude quake about 80 miles south of Washington,two of Dominion Power's North Anna nuclear reactors shut down automatically as three of four back-up diesel generators switched on efficiently when off site power was interrupted by the quake,ensuring that the fuel rods would continue to be cooled.
For most residents of the region,it was their first experience of such an event,an encounter with an aspect of nature they will look back on with fascination for the rest of their lives.