4.4 Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Seattle

A 4.4 magnitude earthquake hit Seattle and the Puget Sound area early Friday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

A USGS map shows the earthquake originated from Three Lakes, Washington, less than 10 miles east of downtown Everett, and came from 6 miles under the surface. The shaking was felt from in Canada. No tsunami alert was issued.

The Seattle Times reports:

In Arlington, Wash., Tristan Halsen, a 20-year-old student at Everett Community College, was sitting on his couch working on homework, when he heard a “really loud rumbling like a stampede,” he said in a Twitter message. A wall-mounted TV began shaking. At first, he thought it was a thunderstorm. Then, his house began shaking “for what seemed like forever,” he said. “I think this was my first ‘big’ earthquake that I can remember and it was interesting to experience one this big,” he wrote.

The event comes after southern California experienced a pair of strong earthquakes of 6.4 and 7.1 magnitudes in July. Last week, California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) requested a presidential emergency declaration for federal assistance after the later quake rattled parts of the Golden State on Friday.

Newsom said President Donald Trump has offered to help rebuild areas damaged by the quakes. “He’s committed in the long haul, the long run, to help support the rebuilding efforts,” the governor said.