1.7 Magnitude New York City Earthquake Shakes Up Roosevelt Island, Astoria and Upper East Side This Morning Says US Geological Survey - An Interesting Way To Start The New Year

What happened on Roosevelt Island this morning - possible earthquake? Waiting for answers. https://t.co/0JpVBdjqXY

— Roosevelt Islander (@Rooseveltisland) January 2, 2024

The United States Geological Survey reported today a 1.7 magnitude earthquake hit NYC at 5:45 (10:45 UTC) this morning shaking up the residents of Roosevelt Island, Astoria and the Upper East Side.

At 10:30 this morning, I asked the NYC Department of Emergency Management (NYCEM):

There were tremors felt this morning on Roosevelt Island, Astoria and Upper East Side sections of NYC.

There is a report of a 1.7 magnitude earthquake for today listed on the USGS web site.

Do you know if this is accurate?

Any comment from NYCEM on this incident?...

NYCEM posted on X(Twitter):

USGS reports a 1.7 magnitude earthquake near Astoria, Queens. No reports of damage/injuries in NYC. https://t.co/NYNndokAiD. Multilingual & ASL Link: https://t.co/wkfR6VbhBK

— NYCEM - Notify NYC (@NotifyNYC) January 2, 2024

According to PIX 11 News

I spoke with a USGS spokesperson who encouraged Roosevelt Island residents to report what they experienced this morning during the earthquake.

Here's more on NYC earthquakes.

UPDATE 12:35 - Residents reported hearing a loud boom or explosion like noise at the time of the earthquake. According to the USGS spokesperson, it is not unusual for a loud sonic boom noise to be heard accompanying an earthquake such as the one this morning. The spokesperson did not say the noise heard by residents today was from the earthquake, but that it was possible.

UPDATE 2:00 PM - I asked Con Ed:

Do you have info on any damage caused on Roosevelt Island by today's 1.7 magnitude earthquake?

Here's what we know so far.

Residents have reported hearing an explosion at the same time as the earthquake. Was there any explosion separate from the earthquake?

Any damage to Con Ed Transformers? Was there any power loss.

and the FDNY:

Do you have info on any damage caused on Roosevelt Island by today's 1.7 magnitude earthquake?

Here's what we know so far.

Residents have reported hearing an explosion at the same time as the earthquake. Was there any explosion separate from the earthquake?

Was anyone trapped in building elevators that needed rescue?

According to a Con Ed spokesperson:

There was no explosion involving Con Edison equipment, no damage to Con Edison equipment, and no customer outages.

We suspect that the earthquake was the cause of the noise.

You might want to confirm with the US Geological Survey, which is the federal agency that tracks earthquakes.

And a FDNY spokesperson:

580 Main Street – South of Roosevelt Island Bridge & Tram

Call received @ 0554 hrs.

Report of a building shaking and explosion

Units on scene investigating.

Gas and Electric utility ( Con – Edison ) requested.

No injuries currently reported.

Incident under control @ 0708hrs.

Unable to determine cause of reported explosions/ shaking –

Scene turned over to Con Edison

The Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) adds:

Dear Roosevelt Island Community:

We wanted to update you on the situation this morning that involved several loud booms and shaking on the island.

The USGS has now determined that a 1.7 magnitude earthquake occurred at approximately 5:45am this morning near Astoria, Queens: https://twitter.com/nycemergencymgt/status/1742223761896587771

Con Edison remains on the scene and has reported no ongoing utility concerns. The New York City Office of Emergency Management has also reported no injuries, no impacts to transit, and no structural stability issues at this time.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide the community updates as needed. Please know that preliminary reports indicate there are no ongoing safety concerns at this time.

-Team RIOC