Mini-earthquake felt on Long Island

An earthquake in Virginia was felt in Nassau County. The 5.9 Richter hit near Richmond, Virginia, a half-mile beneath the ground.

Matthew Ryley of Baldwin reports that he was in his room watching television "when I felt the whole room shaking. 'What in the name of Heaven is going on?' I thought the house was going to collapse. Of course, it didn't. This felt very weird."

One Merrick woman asks on Facebook: "Earthquake - Did anyone else here in Merrick, New York notice the Earthquake around 1:55 today, August 23, 2011? My coffee maker started shaking, and at first I thought it was because of construction nextdoor!"

Governor Cuomo's office released the following statement within an hour of the tremor. "The State Office of Emergency Management continues to monitor effects in New York State from the earthquake that originated in Virginia this afternoon. Currently, there have been no reports of damage to buildings, bridges, roads, power grids, the Indian Point nuclear power plant, or other infrastructure."

Train service was not affected, but airplane service at JFK International Airport was temporarily halted.