Quake Shakes Fredericksburg, East Coast

The United States Geological Survey says a 5.9 magnitude earthquake shook Fredericksburg along with the better portion of the East Coast. The quake rattled pictures and valuables off of walls. In and around Fredericksburg, residents are reporting trouble with cellphone networks.

"I thought Jesus was coming back," said Carla Roop, in an interview. She had never experienced an earthquake before, but was dining with a former California resident, as well as her husband and son, in Stafford County when the quake struck. 

Her young son said the tremors caused his orange juice to splash on him as they ran outside. 

According to data from the USGS, the quake was centered in Louisa County, near the town of Mineral. The epicenter of the quake was about 34 miles southwest of Fredericksburg, 27 miles east of Charlottesville and 39 miles north of Richmond. 

The quake was less than a mile underground, with the USGS describing it as a poorly constrained quake 3.7 miles underground. 

Fredericksburg resident Dee Fegley has lived through quakes before when she spent time in California. 

"I knew what an earthquake feels like, but not my boyfriend or daughter and my poor cat is traumatized," said Fegley in a post on Facebook. "Stuff flew off my dresser and across the floor, a few pictures fell but they didn't break. 

Dina Young, owner of Moms of Fredericksburg, was on the phone and her children were playing when the quake happened. 

"I grabbed my three children and took cover in the basement," said Young on Facebook. "No way to get through to 911 so we waited a little while and then turned on channel 4 to see the report. 

Lorisa Robinson reports that she is having cellphone trouble at the moment. 

"I have no outgoing cell service but I am getting alerts," said Robinson. "I can't call or send texts but Internet is working."

"It felt like a train was going through, shaking everything, didn't quite know what to do," said Robinson.

The employees at the Corner Thrift Shop, normally jam packed with all kinds of vintage glassware, had many of their items shaken from the shelves, but no major damage asides from a few broken pieces. 

"We didn't lose a whole lot," said employee Charles Fagan.