HARTFORD, CT – Emergency management officials said inspections of critical infrastructure were underway throughout the state following Friday morning’s mild earthquake.
“We’re handling this at the Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS) the way we would handle any potential emergency,” said Deputy Commissioner Brenda Bergeron, who serves as the head of the division. “We use our state response framework. We’re working through our regional offices to find out whether or not there’s been any significant damages that municipalities are seeing. We don’t have any reports of significant damages at this time.”
According to the United States Geological Survey, a 4.8 magnitude earthquake struck near Whitehouse Station in New Jersey at approximately 10:23 a.m.
The earthquake, which was the largest in the eastern United States since 1950 according to the U.S., was felt throughout the region, with reports of coming in from as far south as Washington, D.C. to as far north as Canada. Earthquakes in the eastern United States are infrequent but do occur. There have been at least 40 earthquakes recorded in the region over the last 75 years.
Industries across the state are currently surveying for damage, according to Bergeron, who said utility companies are checking for downed lines while the Millstone Power Station, the state’s only nuclear power plant, continues to operate at 100% and has reported no damages. The Department of Administrative Services is surveying state buildings for damage.
Amtrak and Metro-North have reported some service slowdowns in some areas, Bergeron said, and they are continuing to inspect their tracks for damage. Service at Bradley International Airport was paused to allow for employees and state police to conduct visual inspections, but service has resumed.
“We’re monitoring, and we are not seeing any significant damage, but we are in partial activation and continuing to work with our state, local, federal, and private sector partners on making sure that everyone is safe and sound,” Bergeron said.
The state’s bridges are the state’s highway bridges. The Department of Transportation said it is conducting visual inspections across the state. While there have been no reported concerns from the field so far, the focus of inspectors is on tall structures and stacked highways, such as the Gold Star Memorial Bridge, the Putnam Bridge, and the I-84/Route 8 Mixmaster in Waterbury.
“The Department of Transportation has a system in place where they know which bridges get the most traffic and which bridges that they want to keep an eye on and those are the ones that they are reviewing first,” Bergeron said in response to a question about how the DOT prioritizes which bridges they check first. “The only thing that I’ve heard personally so far, and it’s been anecdotal, is that some people may see a little bit of cracking in certain places, but we have not heard of anything structural at this time. That’s why we are still in partial activation and continuing to monitor just to make sure that there are no significant issues.”
Last year, CT Public reported that over 200 of the state’s bridges were rated in poor condition, or 5% of the total bridges tracked by the federal government. Hundreds more need repairs, and at least two-thirds of all bridges in the state are at least 50 years old.
DOT spokesperson Samaia Hernandez said that of all the bridges listed in poor condition, the DOT either has them in an existing project or they are in the process of being planned for an upcoming project. She added that for municipal structures, towns are informed biennially when their bridges are inspected and they are encouraged to apply to the state for funding for repairs. However, she said the state can’t force municipalities to repair their structures.
Aside from public infrastructure, DEMHS officials reminded Connecticut’s residents to make sure their own properties did not sustain damage.
“I know a lot of people are at work and in school, so as you get home, certainly do a quick evaluation of your home and other structures. If you notice any cracks, we want you to report those to your emergency management director within your municipality,” said Josh Cingranelli, an emergency management specialist and meteorologist with DEMHS.
If you have concerns about damage to your home or other structures, contact your local emergency management director.
