Virginia Quake Shakes Half Hollow Hills

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake occurred in Virginia at 1:51 p.m., according to reports, with tremors felt right here in Half Hollow Hills.

Offices such as Capital One on Broad Hollow Road in Melville evacuated at about 1:53 p.m. One employee said the earthquake felt like standing on a New York City sidewalk as the subway rides by. Once the Melville Fire Department claimed the area was safe, the employees returned to the building.

Residents said they could feel the earthquake from their homes and took to social networking sites to talk about what took place.

"I was sitting on my sofa and it began to gently rock. So subtle I thought I was imagining it. Then my daughter felt it in the kitchen and she said it was all over Facebook," Nadine Cain-Laznovsky commented on Facebook.

All staff and visitors at the Half Hollow Hills Community Libraries were evacuated as well.

"I thought it was ongoing library construction!" Ellen Druda, a librarian, wrote on Twitter.

Those in Dix Hills also felt the quake. "I thought construction in the next room was shaking my house," John Scheine posted on Twitter.

County Executive Steve Levy was on the 12th floor of the H. Lee Dennison Building in Hauppauge when the quake hit.

"We had just finished an emergency practice drill less than an hour beforehand," said Levy, noting that the building swayed. "One of the things that went through my mind was that someone bombed the building, and maybe this drill wasn't such a drill.

"But thankfully no one was injured, and this is what you train for," Levy added.

Levy said there have been no reports of injuries in the county due to the quake. 

Police are asking those who wish to report non-emergency incidents resulting from the earthquake, such as downed trees or wires to call the Suffolk County Police Department’s non-emergency line at 631-852-COPS or 911 in the event of an emergency.

You can see exactly where the earthquake struck in Virginia here.

Guidelines from Federal Emergency Management Agency on dealing with earthquakes:

What to Do After an Earthquake

• Expect aftershocks. These secondary shockwaves are usually less violent than the main quake but can be strong enough to do additional damage to weakened structures and can occur in the first hours, days, weeks, or even months after the quake.
• Listen to a battery-operated radio or television. Listen for the latest emergency information. 
• Open cabinets cautiously. Beware of objects that can fall off shelves.
• Clean up spilled medicines, bleaches, gasoline or other flammable liquids immediately. Leave the area if you smell gas or fumes from other chemicals.
• Inspect utilities.

For more information go to - http://www.fema.gov/hazard/earthquake/index.shtm

Where were you when the earthquake struck? Any damage in your area? 

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.