A 7.2 magnitude earthquake followed by massive aftershocks jolted Saipan, Tinian, and Pagan yesterday afternoon, rattling homes and nerves, but there were no immediate reports of serious damage or injuries.
CNMI Emergency Management Office acting director Mark Pangelinan said no destructive tsunami was generated, based on earthquake and historical tsunami data.
He said the quake happened at 1:31pm and was centered about 25 miles west-northwest of Agrihan, 57.8 miles north-northwest of Pagan, 138.26 miles north-northwest of Saipan, and 145.25 north-northwest of Tinian.
A preliminary report placed the quake's magnitude at 7.0, but this was later revised to 7.2.
The earthquake was so strong that 23 minutes after the initial jolt, the islands were still ringing with a series of jarring aftershocks.
“The strongest jolt lasted 12 seconds. But the duration of the entire event lasted 23 minutes,” Pangelinan said.
“We're still registering. We cannot tell you how many because the aftershocks are still ongoing,” he added.
As of last night, Pangelinan said they have not received reports about injuries or damage to property resulting from the temblor.
Saipan Tribune learned that the jolt was also felt on Tinian, but not on Rota.
“It was strong enough to move our fire truck back and forth so we ran out of the building,” a Tinian police officer said.
California quake
Almost at the same time, a magnitude-5.6 earthquake shook the San Francisco Bay area.
The moderate temblor struck shortly after 8pm Tuesday, about 9 miles northeast of San Jose, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Residents reported feeling the quake as far east as Sacramento and as far north as Sonoma. There was no immediate report of injuries or damage.
The California Highway Patrol has received no reports of damage or injuries, spokesman Tom Marshall said.
It was the strongest tremor in the Bay Area since 1989, when a magnitude-7.1 quake killed 62 people.
The epicenter of the quake was near Alum Rock, in the Diablo Range foothills east of San Jose. The USGS reported 10 aftershocks, the biggest with a preliminary magnitude of 2.1.
Alarm activated
Pangelinan said that shortly after the quake, they immediately activated the emergency alert system to warn the public about the temblor. EMO staff called schools to send children outside the classrooms.
Pangelinan said the quake's depth was 235 kilometers so a lot of people felt it.
Government and many private businesses employees ran outside their offices after the strong quake was felt.
A federal court employee said she thought she was just dizzy while walking along the hallway.
“There was no panic. Everybody was just like running out safely. We stayed calm and just headed out to the fire exit,” the court staff said.
School children dove under the tables then proceeded to the open ground after hearing the alarm.
The Public School System, however, did not suspend classes yesterday. The earthquake happened just two hours away from class dismissal.
Marianas High School officials said the Central Office did not receive any instructions from the Commissioner's Office to suspend classes. The official said the school was rattled by the strong tremor but all students were out in the field for the school's annual pep rally.
Pangelinan said Rota and Guam did not feel the quake because they are already too far from the epicenter.
EMO said it was the second strongest earthquake recorded in the CNMI. The strongest was 8.1, which was reportedly felt in the CNMI and Guam in 1993. (With AP)
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