Earthquake shakes up Fort Meade

By Brandon BieltzAugust 30, 2011

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(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. - At 1:51 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, earth under the installation rumbled, sending people under desks and toward exits.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported an earthquake of a 5.8 magnitude. From its epicenter in Mineral, Va., -- about 120 miles south of the installation -- the quake was reported to shake more than a dozen states along the East Coast, from Georgia to northern New England.

In the aftermath of Tuesday's quake, installation officials said various Fort Meade buildings, including the Lanes and the Youth Services Center, were temporarily closed due to possible structural damage.

"We are aggressively working with the Emergency Operations Center and our partners to identify potential issues and fix problems as quickly and safely as possible," Garrison Commander Col. Edward C. Rothstein said Tuesday.

Immediately after the earthquake, the Fort Meade Fire Department, in partnership with the Directorate of Public Works, checked buildings for gas and water leaks and structural damage.

"We did the initial assessment, and DPW did the followup to help make the final determination regarding a building's structural integrity," Fort Meade Assistant Fire Chief Joseph Van Meter said Wednesday. "We have not found any building with structural integrity issues at this time, but this is an ongoing process and customers are still contacting us intermittently."

Wednesday morning, Youth Services moved its operations to the Teen Center at 6 a.m., then transitioned back to its facility at 909 Ernie Pyle St. at 8:30 a.m. The bowling center resumed normal operations as well.

"The building engineer returned this afternoon for an additional inspection," Van Meter said. "Additional inspections were conducted at those facilities based on concerns identified by occupants."

The last earthquake in Maryland occurred a year ago on July 16 with a magnitude of 3.6, which sent tremors through Rockville, Annapolis, Leesburg, Va., and Washington, D.C.

Many on the installation Tuesday reacted with shock to the sudden movement that intensified within seconds. Streets and fields filled with people as facilities evacuated.

Air Force Master Sgt. Johny Stevens was preparing for a ceremony at the Post Theater when the room began to shake.

Initially he thought the rumbling may have come from a truck on Llewellyn Avenue. But after the earthquake's second wave, he said people in the building fled to exits.

"It just hit and started shaking pretty good, pretty violently," Stevens said. "We all flew out of our seats and got out of the building. [The theater] went from about 30 people to none in one second flat."

Bernadette Baldeo, director of Fort Meade's Plans, Analysis and Integration office on Roberts Avenue, had a similar story when the earthquake shook that building.

"It sounded like a blast at first," she said. "Then there was more shaking, and that's when we decided we needed to get out of the building. It was very scary."

Stevens, who had experienced multiple earthquakes while living in Guam, said Tuesday's quake caught him by surprise since it occurred in Maryland.

"At least in Guam it was expected," he said.

After the quake, shaken community members turned to the Fort Meade Facebook page for updated information and to express their reactions:

From Christine: "Man, that was scary. We just experienced some sort of earthquake."

From Nathalia: "Wow, never experienced an earthquake before! Crazy!"

From Amanda: "Is my neighborhood the only one that was shaking?"

The Public Affairs Office began putting information out on the social media website as soon as information could be confirmed. People were able to ask questions and quickly find answers to what was going on.

Related Links:

Fort Meade website