An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 shook eastern Cuba on Sunday, after weeks of hurricanes and blackouts that have left many on the island reeling, but many in Miami felt the impacts of the devastating natural disaster.
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.8 shook eastern Cuba on Sunday, after weeks of hurricanes and blackouts that have left many on the island reeling, but many in Miami felt the impacts of the devastating natural disaster.
The epicenter of the quake was located about 25 miles south of Bartolome Maso, Cuba, according to a report by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Rumbling was felt across the eastern stretch of Cuba, including in bigger cities like Santiago de Cuba, as well as Holguin and Guantanamo.
One woman who lives in Santiago, Cuba says in the past she's felt quakes of up to a 5 magnitude, but never like this.
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"There have been about two dozen earthquakes of a magnitude 5.5 and larger in that region in the past handle of decades, but that doesn’t mean that it’s a common enough occurrence that the people who experience it feel like it’s regular," said Dara Goldberg of the U.S. Geological Survey.
On social media, Cuban residents shared photos of crumbling roofs, and cracks on walls.
The City of Miami says the fire department responded to multiple calls Sunday from concerned residents in Brickell and downtown Miami, but city officials said there was no cause for alarm.
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"We’re seeing roughly a dozen reports of shaking in Miami," Goldberg said. "This is certainly an earthquake that was felt that far away.”
The quake comes on the heels of the aftermath caused by Hurricane Rafael earlier last week.
And weeks prior in October, there were island-wide blackouts that went on for days after Hurricane Oscar brought major flooding that killed at least six people along the east coast.
While residents in Cuba assess the damage, at this time there are no reports of any casualties.
