Jan. 2, 2024 By Czarinna Andres
Residents of western Queens, Roosevelt Island and the Upper East Side of Manhattan got a shaky start to the week Tuesday morning, with a 1.7 magnitude earthquake centered in Astoria.
The seismic activity was recorded at precisely 5:45 a.m., according to the United States Geological Survey, and led to a surge in emergency calls in western Queens, Roosevelt Island and the Upper East Side.
At 0545 hours, a 1.7 Magnitude earthquake occurred in the Astoria Queens Area. It’s location was 0.5 miles ENE of Astoria at a depth of 5 km. https://t.co/n3s7JLPPA2
— NYC Emergency Management (@nycemergencymgt) January 2, 2024
A number of residents in Astoria went to social media to express their reactions. Some were shocked to hear it even happened saying they didn’t feel a thing while others say they definitely felt the ground shake.
The small tremor caused power disruptions and explosions.
The Department of Buildings (DOB), FDNY, NYPD, 311, MTA, Con Ed, and National Grid all confirmed that there were no injuries, no disruptions to transit, traffic, or utility services, and no concerns regarding structural stability.