Here is my checkin. I also published one on DC Examiner.

I am fine.

I was in a basement at the time thinking, I know what the ground is supposed to feel like so either that is a huge, long, truck, or we are definitely having an earthquake. I went outside and danced with the ground. Nothing was broken, or even really bothered where I live or work.

The 5.8 earthquake epicenter was just outside of Richmond, VA. Washington Monument has cracks at the top (so there has been damage in the area). The Nuclear Power Plants near the area of the epicenter have both been shut down. It makes me homesick for Cali, and yet, I feel badly for the people who are really freaked out and suffering. I submitted information to the USGS (US Geological Survey) Did You Feel It? link.

Everyone I wondered about immediately flooded Facebook with checkins and commentary, so it made me appreciate the technology trap for a few moments.

I am requesting prayers (Culpepper County, VA has declared a state of emergency).

Hurricane Irene is coming through this area over the coming weekend, and according to the WX-Men, Irene could become a major hurricane in the next few days (she’s a category 2 now). The Martin Luther King Memorial dedication (scheduled for Sunday) may be postponed due to the weather that may be coming.

Please prepare as best you can for what is coming.

Ok, that is a life statement, not just a weather statement.