Quake Shakes Peters Township, Pittsburgh

Editor's Note: This article was updated at 2:50 p.m. Tuesday.

An earthquake of a magnitude of 5.9 shook the city Tuesday afternoon.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey's website, the earthquake occurred at 1:51 p.m. in Richmond, Va., and sent shockwaves along the east coast as far north as Boston, and as far west as Chicago.

A Washington County 911 supervisor said the office has been inundated with phone calls regarding the aftershocks of the earthquake, but confirmed there has been no damage or injuries reported countywide.

Peters police Chief Harry Fruecht confirmed there has been no damage or injuries in Peters Township. He said a building in The Meadowlands was evacuated.

According to Canon-McMillan Patch, a Cecil Township police clerk said the department had received just one call about the earthquake from a business in Southpointe that reported feeling the aftershocks.

And nobody has called the Canonsburg Police Department asking what that small disturbance was.

But Mayor David H. Rhome said that while he felt it, it was difficult to believe it was an actual earthquake.

"I was sitting in my office doing some work and I felt something vibrating. Then I looked at my blinds and saw they were shaking," he said, adding he thought there was some other disturbance and went downstairs to speak with the office staff.

Officials at Pittsburgh International Airport tweeted that the facility was operating as it should be, and Duquesne Light sent out a press release indicating there were no utility disturbances reported.

According to , Pittsburgh native Pat Ehland was doing work inside his home just outside Charlottesville, Va., when he was “taken by surprise” from a rumble that continued longer than usual.

“We have big trucks that rumble down the road, so I thought it was that, but it kept going,” Ehland said. “What made me realize that this might be something significant is that you could actually hear it. You could hear things shaking.”

After a few long seconds, he and his wife, Stephanie, decided it was time to get out of their house quickly. Ehland, 28, who is originally from Robinson Township, said the earthquake lasted about 15 seconds.

“The windows and walls were shaking, but nothing fell off the shelves,” he said.

After the shaking stopped, the couple heard sirens in the background. However, there apparently was no major damage to the area despite their neighborhood being just 30 miles from the epicenter of the 5.9 earthquake. Neighbors said they’ve felt small tremors in the past, but nothing this severe.

A spokesman for the American Red Cross said he has not received any requests for assistance following the earthquake throughout the 13-county southwestern Pennsylvania region.

The Port Authority is operating normally.

At the  in Moon, meteorologist Brad Rehak said the quake wasn't felt at the service's Shafer Road office. 

"Actually, no, not really," Rehak said. "Maybe one guy here said he felt it."

Join the conversation on our Facebook page. Where were you when you felt the tremor?