New Yorkers Question Delay in State's Earthquake Notification

Many people in upstate New York were not aware there had been an earthquake on Friday until they received an emergency alert on their phone.

The public safety message from the state Office of Emergency Management advised New Yorkers that an "EARTHQUAKE occurred in New Jersey."

The alert warned that "aftershocks may occur." People were advised to call 911 only if someone was hurt or if there was an emergency.

A television screen at News Corp headquarters displays the breaking news of a 4.8 magnitude earthquake on April 5, 2024 in New York City. (Photo: David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

An emergency alert tone sounded on cellphones across the state around 12:05 p.m. - more than 90 minutes after the earthquake happened.

Some New Yorkers who learned of the incident from news reports or through social media wondered why the state's alert had not been issued sooner.

It was not immediately clear why there was such a delay in transmitting the emergency message.

A woman who was working in an office on Binghamton's South Side told WNBF News she felt the earthquake.

In an email she wrote: "I was sitting at my desk and felt the chair and my desk vibrate. Something rattled in my office. I asked my co-worker if she noticed anything and she said no. I looked out the window expecting some type of construction work going on but nothing was happening. And 15 minutes later the news reports started coming out! I was beginning to think I had imagined it."

Some people in Port Crane, Owego and near Ouquaga Lake reported feeling the earthquake.

The 4.8 magnitude quake was centered in northern New Jersey.

First responders and firefighters attend a call to check houses after an earthquake on April 5, 2024 in Lebanon, New Jersey.(Photo: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.

The most expensive weather and climate disasters in recent decades

Stacker ranked the most expensive climate disasters by the billions since 1980 by the total cost of all damages, adjusted for inflation, based on 2021 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The list starts with Hurricane Sally, which caused $7.3 billion in damages in 2020, and ends with a devastating 2005 hurricane that caused $170 billion in damage and killed at least 1,833 people. Keep reading to discover the 50 of the most expensive climate disasters in recent decades in the U.S.

Gallery Credit: KATELYN LEBOFF

KEEP READING: Get answers to 51 of the most frequently asked weather questions...

25 costliest hurricanes of all time

Although the full extent of damage caused by Hurricane Ian in the Southwest is still being realized, Ian is already being called one of the costliest storms to ever hit the U.S. Stacker took a look at NOAA data to extrapolate the costliest U.S. hurricanes of all time.