Earthquake

WASHINGTON (AP) - A 5.8 magnitude earthquake centered northwest of Richmond, Va., shook much of Washington, D.C., and was felt as far north as Rhode Island and New York City. The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was 3.7 miles deep. Shaking was felt at the White House and all over the East Coast, as far south as Chapel Hill, N.C. Parts of the Pentagon, White House and Capitol were evacuated. The quake was in Mineral, Va., in Louisa County.   The WSBT newsroom is flooded with calls from local residents who felt the quake in the Michiana area as well.

It felt like the world was ending. Three Notre Dame staff members had tumbled from a terrace at the Hotel Montana in Haiti. As they brushed themselves off and reassured themselves they were still alive, they had an inspiring vision. There, rising out of the dust and debris, was Father Tom Streit. Somehow, he, too, was alive. Now, seven days later, Streit and the other three Notre Dame staffers — Sarah Craig, Marie Milord and Logan Anderson — are back on campus. They feel lucky they can tell their story of surviving the earthquake that killed thousands of people in Haiti on Jan. 13. Streit leads a clinic in Leogane that aims to eradicate elephantiasis in Haiti.

Lightning may not strike twice in the same place, but earthquakes can rattle a single family multiple times. University of Notre Dame junior Carolyn Leary, studying abroad this semester in Santiago, Chile, was uninjured during Saturday’s major earthquake in that country. Coincidentally, her brother Joey Leary — a 2009 Notre Dame graduate — was in Haiti during the massive Jan. 12 earthquake in that country. Carolyn and the other Notre Dame students in Chile are fine, said Joey, who spoke to his sister Saturday by phone.

NOTRE DAME — Hundreds gathered at Notre Dame Monday in a mass of hope for Haiti, including several members of the University's Haiti Program who were in Port Au Prince when a powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit last week. Relief efforts continue around the clock in the hardest hit areas of Haiti. The United Nations now estimates 73,000 families have received enough food to last for the next week. But many more continue to wait for aid, increasing the risk that the death toll with continue to rise.

"Anything that happens over there scares me," Connie Sult, of Walkerton, said after hearing news of the 8.9-magnitude earthquake that hit Japan overnight. But she was happy to see that her son, Master Sgt. Jim Sult, who is stationed at Yokota Air Base, had updated his Facebook page. "HOLY CRAP!!!....did everyone feel that earthquake. Must have lasted about 1.5 minutes. Really Freaky and it's still going," he posted about 1:30 a.m. EST. About an hour later he wrote, "OK just (an)

All day long Americans have been trying to make contact with relatives and friends in Japan. Stacey Shafer, 22, from South Bend is a student at Temple University in Tokyo. She lives about 250 miles away from the Epicenter and says she never wants to experience an earthquake like this again. WSBT's Colleen Ferreira spoke with Stacey via Skype.

VALPARAISO -- Even after a devastating earthquake and tsunami, for 40 world-renowned Japanese musicians, the show must go on.  The Bach Collegium of Japan left its home country for an American tour the Monday after the earthquake hit.  On Saturday night, the group played at Valparaiso University. "Music is a sort of food for our soul," conductor Masaaki Suzuki said. "We can't live without music, so that's really essential for us. " Half a world away from home, the Japanese performers tried to concentrate on the music while putting away worries about their home.

With such devastation and so many lives lost, many around the world are scrambling to get in touch with family members. A local mother is concerned about her daughter who is stationed in Japan, after just leaving a war zone.   Regina Jasiewicz couldn't be more proud of her daughter. "This is my daughter Julie," says Jasiewicz as she points to several pictures taped to her door. Julie is a Air Force Staff Sergeant now stationed in Japan. The pride Jasiewicz has for her daughter beams from her face.

Several local residents, including a Niles couple, are safe in Santiago, Chile, despite Saturday’s massive earthquake. The Niles husband and wife are Bernardo and Martha Navia. Pedro Navia, chairman of the languages department at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, said he was able to contact his parents on Saturday, shortly after the quake hit. The two had traveled to Santiago to visit relatives, he said, and had planned to be back this week. Instead, it now appears as if it’ll be about two more weeks before the airport in Santiago is put back in operation, he said.

SOUTH BEND -- A LaPorte family is welcoming a new son who, despite the odds, arrived home with them Sunday from Haiti. After the 7.0-magnitude earthquake devastated the island Jan.12, the Mungia family didn't know if he survived. And it has been a tough 12 days for the Mungia family. "Right now I feel like we are expecting our child," says father Peter Mungia, who chokes back tears as he talks about his new son. Peter and his three boys, Alex, Michael and Andrew, waited at South Bend Regional Airport Sunday for the arrival of 6-year-old Nowadson.

SOUTH BEND - Classrooms and businesses across the country took time today to drop, cover and hold on for the “Great Central U.S. Shakeout.” The Department of Homeland Security worked with local Red Cross chapters and emergency management agencies in 11 states to organize the drill to be better prepared for a quake along the New Madrid fault. At McKinley Primary in South Bend, students took cover under their desks while Principal Deb Martin read a prepared statement over the school's PA system.

WASHINGTON (AP) - A 5.8 magnitude earthquake centered northwest of Richmond, Va., shook much of Washington, D.C., and was felt as far north as Rhode Island and New York City. The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was 3.7 miles deep. Shaking was felt at the White House and all over the East Coast, as far south as Chapel Hill, N.C. Parts of the Pentagon, White House and Capitol were evacuated. The quake was in Mineral, Va., in Louisa County.   The WSBT newsroom is flooded with calls from local residents who felt the quake in the Michiana area as well.

VALPARAISO -- Even after a devastating earthquake and tsunami, for 40 world-renowned Japanese musicians, the show must go on.  The Bach Collegium of Japan left its home country for an American tour the Monday after the earthquake hit.  On Saturday night, the group played at Valparaiso University. "Music is a sort of food for our soul," conductor Masaaki Suzuki said. "We can't live without music, so that's really essential for us. " Half a world away from home, the Japanese performers tried to concentrate on the music while putting away worries about their home.

All day long Americans have been trying to make contact with relatives and friends in Japan. Stacey Shafer, 22, from South Bend is a student at Temple University in Tokyo. She lives about 250 miles away from the Epicenter and says she never wants to experience an earthquake like this again. WSBT's Colleen Ferreira spoke with Stacey via Skype.

"Anything that happens over there scares me," Connie Sult, of Walkerton, said after hearing news of the 8.9-magnitude earthquake that hit Japan overnight. But she was happy to see that her son, Master Sgt. Jim Sult, who is stationed at Yokota Air Base, had updated his Facebook page. "HOLY CRAP!!!....did everyone feel that earthquake. Must have lasted about 1.5 minutes. Really Freaky and it's still going," he posted about 1:30 a.m. EST. About an hour later he wrote, "OK just (an)

With such devastation and so many lives lost, many around the world are scrambling to get in touch with family members. A local mother is concerned about her daughter who is stationed in Japan, after just leaving a war zone.   Regina Jasiewicz couldn't be more proud of her daughter. "This is my daughter Julie," says Jasiewicz as she points to several pictures taped to her door. Julie is a Air Force Staff Sergeant now stationed in Japan. The pride Jasiewicz has for her daughter beams from her face.

Former Senator and Governor Evan Byah and his wife were in New Zealand when the 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Christchurch. Bayh was attending a political conference in Christchurch. Byah landed in Washington D.C. from New Zealand this afternoon, and then made his way to South Bend to give a speech at Notre Dame tonight. "It's the kind of thing in life that nothing prepares you for," Byah said. He was overseas and in the middle of it all. When the Earthquake struck Christchurch, New Zealand, Former Indiana Governor and Senator Evan Bayh and his wife, Susan, were there for a conference.

It's not something you expect in Indiana: a magnitude 3.8 earthquake rattled the state Thursday morning. And some people in the area are still shaken up after feeling the ground move beneath them. The US Geological Survey said the 7:55 a.m. quake was centered in Howard County, about 50 miles north of Indianapolis. It was felt as far away as Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, Wisconsin and Michigan. The last time Indiana residents felt the effects of an earthquake was in August, when an Illinois earthquake shook the ground near Chicago.

Lightning may not strike twice in the same place, but earthquakes can rattle a single family multiple times. University of Notre Dame junior Carolyn Leary, studying abroad this semester in Santiago, Chile, was uninjured during Saturday’s major earthquake in that country. Coincidentally, her brother Joey Leary — a 2009 Notre Dame graduate — was in Haiti during the massive Jan. 12 earthquake in that country. Carolyn and the other Notre Dame students in Chile are fine, said Joey, who spoke to his sister Saturday by phone.

Several local residents, including a Niles couple, are safe in Santiago, Chile, despite Saturday’s massive earthquake. The Niles husband and wife are Bernardo and Martha Navia. Pedro Navia, chairman of the languages department at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, said he was able to contact his parents on Saturday, shortly after the quake hit. The two had traveled to Santiago to visit relatives, he said, and had planned to be back this week. Instead, it now appears as if it’ll be about two more weeks before the airport in Santiago is put back in operation, he said.