Earthquakes

‘Trees were shuddering': Reaction to the earthquake off coast of Maine

Reports of the shaking came in through the Boston area all the way out to western Massachusetts

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New Englanders are reacting after an earthquake struck off the coast of Maine and New Hampshire Monday morning.

The U.S. Geological Survey rated the shaking as a magnitude 3.8, downgraded from the initial magnitude of 4.1.

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"I was outside with the dog, and the trees were shuddering," explained NBC10 Boston's Pete Bouchard. "Long, steady rumbling like there was blasting nearby. Went on for several seconds. No apparent damage."

Workers at The Viewpoint Hotel in York — near the earthquake's epicenter — ran out of the building.

"We all did one of those, are you guys hearing and feeling this?" Haven Hatch said. "And my boss was like, 'Get up and get out of the house,' he thought a furnace or something was exploding."

The shaking was felt down through the Boston area, including at the NBCU Boston Media Center in Needham, Massachusetts.

"We definitely just felt something in Boston," NBC10 Boston's Eli Rosenberg wrote in to the newsroom immediately after the shaking.

A 3.8-magnitude earthquake rattled New England on Monday morning and was felt from Connecticut all the way north to New Hampshire. Follow NBC10 Boston: https://instagram.com/nbc10boston https://tiktok.com/@nbc10boston https://facebook.com/NBC10Boston https://twitter.com/NBC10Boston https://bsky.app/profile/nbcboston.com

Reaction quickly poured in online and on social media.

Christine Savini emailed NBC10 Boston with her experience, explaining that her home in Milton, Massachusetts, shook so violently she thought her furnace explained.

"I thought the cause may have been an earthquake because I was once in San Francisco when there were tremors, and the house vibrated violently," she said. The fire department came out to check her house and found no damage.

"Definitely felt in Brighton, Mass - items were shaking on my coffee table," Joanie Sullivan wrote on Facebook.

"Felt it in Lowell….a slight vibration while sitting on the couch….live on a Main Street, so thought it was possibly a truck vibration," wrote Shay Ferreira.

"Felt it in Scituate, MA….loud & my house shook like crazy!" added Patti Stanley Minnis.

Anthony Mirante reported feeling shaking as far out as North Adams, Massachusetts.

According to the USGS "Shakemap" as of late morning, the shaking has been reported as far north as Augusta, Maine, as far south as South Kingstown, Rhode Island, and as far west as Westfield, Massachusetts.

While an earthquake of this strength is not generally destructive and fairly common in areas with more seismic activity like California, a magnitude 3.8 is relatively large for New England.

"It is a reminder that we live in earthquake country — not nearly as active as California, but we do have regular small earthquakes here," said John Ebel, a senior research scientist at the Weston Observatory, who called Monday's temblor a once-in-five-year event.

The New Hampshire Department of Safety reminds residents to be prepared for any type of hazards. During an earthquake, if you are inside you should drop, cover your head and hold on. If you are outside, you should move away from buildings, trees or anything that can topple over.

There have been no reports of damage in New Hampshire as of 10:45 a.m., officials said. Anyone with concerns about damage to their home or business can report it to the local fire department.

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