Centreville Resident Weathers Quake From the Epicenter

Every year Barbara Prescop, a longtime Centreville resident and teacher at Rocky Run Middle School in Chantilly, visits rural Lake Anna by Mineral, Va., for some much-needed rest and relaxation before the summer ends. 

But on Tuesday, Prescop's normally quiet afternoon walk along the lake with her dogs took an unexpected turn, as the very ground shook beneath their feet. "It was pretty intense," she said. 

"I was walking up a hill and it was like the ground was rolling. I had to struggle to keep my balance. It sounded like rolling thunder," Prescop said. "It was very loud. The power plant is just around the corner from me so I thought maybe something was wrong with that."

Tuesday's earthquake originated in Mineral, Va. and the shock of it rolled through Centreville and along the entire East Coast. Even people in Ohio reportedly felt the shocks. It was the largest in Virginia since May 5, 1897, according to the U.S. Geological Society. Despite being located in the epicenter of the earthquake, most buildings in Mineral were not badly damaged and residents are doing fine, according to news accounts. 

Still, Tuesday's events were without a doubt the most eventful thing that has ever happened during nine years of vacations on Lake Anna. "It's very peaceful," the 22-year Centreville resident said. "It's such a different world out here—you look out the window and you see a lake instead of paved roads."

When Prescop returned to the house, the phones were out, though the internet was working. But the house was in total disarray. 

"I could see stuff had fallen off the wall and the lights were hanging," she said. On the outside, though, most things look normal, save for the helicopters flying overhead.