More than 20 displaced by earthquake off Massachusetts coast, Red Cross says

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    DARTMOUTH, MA (WCVB) — The Red Cross is reporting that multiple families have been displaced after their homes were damaged by an earthquake that struck off the Massachusetts coast Sunday morning.

The United States Geological Survey reports the 3.6 magnitude earthquake struck at 9:10 a.m. in an area of Buzzards Bay that is about 6.8 miles south of Dartmouth’s Bliss Corner neighborhood.

According to the USGS, the quake struck at a depth of approximately 6.2 miles.

Initially, the USGS report indicated the magnitude of the earthquake may have been as high as 4.2. That was later revised downward to 4.0 and then again to 3.6.

“You know, when you hear earthquake, your mind starts to race,” Mattapoisett resident Kyle Jones said. “I was expecting to open the door and see a crack in the ground or something.”

NewsCenter 5 received reports of people feeling the earthquake from New Bedford to East Bridgewater, up to Natick and as far as Granby and Gloucester. U.S. Rep. Bill Keating, who lives on Cape Cod, was among those who felt the rumble.

“All of a sudden, the house shook,” Keating said. “The only way I could describe it was it was just like an explosion without the sound.”

Residents of Rhode Island, Connecticut and even New Hampshire also reported feeling the earthquake.

USGS geophysicist Paul Caruso told The Associated Press that about 14,000 people went to the agency’s website to report the earthquake, including people from Easthampton, Massachusetts, and Hartford, Connecticut, which are about 100 miles away from the epicenter. Caruso also said the USGS received several reports of the earthquake from Boston residents, who were more than 50 miles away from the quake.

The Red Cross of Massachusetts told NewsCenter 5 that three New Bedford homes in the area of Crapo and Nelson streets had to be evacuated due to structural damage caused by the earthquake. As a result, 10 families totaling 22 people have been displaced.

The New Bedford Fire Department reports that the bottom 4 feet of the chimney stack on the home at 202 Crapo St. had completely crumbled, and that pipes from the furnaces were leaning over. As a result, the gas had to be shut off in the building, leaving the residents without heat, hot water or stoves.

Firefighters said a home across the street, at 195 Crapo St., had the same damage as the home at 202 Crapo St., as the chimney stack had completely crumbled. The home’s gas lines also had to be shut down.

While checking other house in the area, firefighters said a nearby six-family home had multiple carbon monoxide leaks, and that gas service had to be shut off.

“If you see any signs of cracking, or certainly crumbling, of your chimney in the basement — or anywhere in your house — you should look up on your roof and check out your chimney,” New Bedford District Fire Chief James Fortin said.

According to the Red Cross, the property manager for the homes is working with the agency to help provide lodging support for the affected residents.

“We will provide comfort and long-term recovery services,” the Red Cross tweeted Sunday afternoon.

The Fall River Police Department is reporting that it received numerous calls from residents about minor damage inside their homes. Police also said that two street signs in the area of East Main Street were uprooted.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency said it has not received any reports of major damage or injuries caused by the earthquake, and added that there is no tsunami danger from the quake.

According to USGS records, the last time New England saw an earthquake this strong was on Oct. 16, 2012, when a 4.5 magnitude earthquake struck near Saco, Maine.

Anyone who is in need of assistance and has yet to contact the Red Cross of Massachusetts can do so by calling 1-800-564-1234.

John Ebel, the senior research scientist at the Boston College Weston Observatory, says aftershocks could be felt in the next few days, but notes that he is not expecting any of those potential shocks to be bigger than Sunday’s earthquake.

NewsCenter 5 has received numerous reports of shaking across southeastern Massachusetts and Cape Cod.

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