The 5.8 magnitude earthquake on Tuesday afternoon forced the National Parks Service to close down several historic landmarks in Washington D.C. including the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials and Washington Monument.
At 7:20 p.m. Tuesday night the two memorials were reopened after they were shut down to visitors as a precaution, but the Washington Monument has been temporarily closed because of cracks at the top of the monument that may have been caused by the earthquake. No injuries were reported, the NPS said.
After a secondary inspection was completed, the NPS said structural engineers will evaluate the cracks on Wednesday to determine the best way to repair the Monument before it is reopened. The Washington Monument grounds have been reopened except for an area about 100 feet outside of the plaza, the NPS said.
“As always, safety remains the NPS’ chief concern,” the parks service said in a statement. “The NPS will be evaluating all of the structures throughout the National Capital Region to determine structural integrity and to ensure visitor safety.”
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, the World War II Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Korean War Memorial remain open, the NPS said.
The earthquake hit at 1:51 p.m. It was reportedly felt as far north as Toronto, Canada, and as far south as Alabama.
In the D.C. area some schools and government buildings were closed on Wednesday, according to the Washington Post. The paper reported that Metro and commuter rail services were back to normal Wednesday morning.
