The AHS community experienced an earthquake on Tuesday afternoon at 1:50 p.m. According to NBC 4 Washington, the earthquake had a magnitude of 5.9 and lasted for 30-40 seconds. Local office buildings were evacuated following the earthquake.

The earthquake started in central Virginia and was felt up and down the East Coast. According to CNN, since it only hit 3.7 miles under the surface of the earth, it gave off a “powerful shake.”

“I was at the library, trying to be productive by working on my math summer assignment, then the earthquake hit and the librarians evacuated everyone,” rising senior James Bui said. “It was an interesting experience.”

Many AHS students took to social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to express their feelings on the earthquake. Comments about their experiences during the event were passed back and forth shortly after it ended.

“I was playing Xbox [when the earthquake hit] and I got everyone out of the house,” rising senior Danyal Babar said. ”At least now everyone knows earthquakes can happen here too.”

NBC 4 Washington also reports that there are signs of damage in the area, including parts of the National Cathedral.

The earthquake arrived just as the East Coast was preparing for Hurricane Irene, which is expected to hit the area this weekend.