An earthquake registering at magnitude 3.8 shook western New York on Monday morning, with reports of the temblor being felt as far north as Niagara Falls and as far south as Orchard Park. The epicenter was located 1.3 miles east northeast of West Seneca, according to the US Geological Survey.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz reported feeling the quake as if “a car hit [his] house” in Buffalo, while Esther Gulyas, who was at EG Tax in Tonawanda, said it felt like “a bomb or something hit [her] building.”
Despite initial reports of widespread feeling of the quake, there was limited reported damage. West Seneca Town Supervisor Gary Dickson stated he was not aware of any damage in the town as of 7 a.m. However, in north Buffalo, Mayor Byron Brown reported that a chimney had fallen onto a car.
The National Weather Service received numerous calls from people reporting feeling the earthquake in places such as Lackawanna, Kenmore, Buffalo, Amherst, Hamburg, and West Seneca. An investigation into any potential damage is ongoing.
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