NJ Earthquake 2012 Shakes Hurricane Sandy Victims On Monday

By Shiryn Ghermezian

New Jersey residents experienced a small-magnitude earthquake on Monday, after Hurricane Sandy left the town in much disarray last week.

The earthquake had a 2.0 magnitude, stuck around 1:19 a.m. and hit towns of Ringwood, Mahwah, Wanaque, Oakland, Franklin Lakes, West Milford and Paterson. The quake was 3 miles below ground and no damages or injuries has been reported at time of publication.

Fox News reported that the earthquake was centered in Ringwood, where many are still recovering from downed trees and power outages from Hurricane Sandy. The report also noted that geophysicist Jessica Turner, from the National Earthquake Information Center, said that some New Jersey residents noted that they heard a loud boom on Monday and that those living on upper floors of buildings might have felt shaking or seen objects moving.

The last earthquake to hit the Garden State was recorded in February 2010 and had a 2.2 magnitude, Turner said.

Residents in the affected area after concerned that after experiencing a hurricane and an earthquake all within a week of each other, the storm that is reported to hit later this week might be more than they can handle.

AccuWeather.com meteorologists said that a storm system rising along the East Coast could lead to a major water rise and coastal flooding along the New Jersey coastline on Tuesday night and into Wednesday.

Because of the damage and erosion caused by Hurricane Sandy, the New Jersey coastline might not be able to hold up against another storm and Expert Senior Meteorologist Bernie Rayno is concerned the hurricane this week could be a "moderate to severe coastal flooding event" for the area.

Meteorologists predict a storm will emerge off the southeast coast of the U.S. on Tuesday and then proceed northward along the East Coast Tuesday night into Wednesday. The strength of its winds is expected to pick up as it moves along the coast.

The major concern for New Jersey also stems from the fact that their protective dunes along the coast from Atlantic City and northward were completely destroyed from Sandy, leaving the coastline more prone for damage and any water rise to have free flow into coastal communities, according to AccuWeather.