EARTHQUAKE

The United States put its eastern seaboard on alert for Hurricane Irene on Tuesday as the powerful storm barreled up from the Caribbean on a path that could hit the U.S. coast on the weekend.

The earthquake that shook much of the East Coast cracked one of the stones at the top of the Washington Monument, a National Park Service spokesman said on Wednesday.

The strong earthquake that rattled the eastern United States on Tuesday was highly unusual in its severity, though it was centered in a part of Virginia known for smaller quakes, seismologists said.

People said the daily commute and long working hours would be the hardest part of adjusting to life in New York. Seems somebody forget to mention earthquakes and hurricanes. But that's the reality I'm finding, as the earthquake shook New York Tuesday and forecast models show Hurricane Irene is making its way toward the metropolitan area for a possible Sunday strike at Category 1 strength. Suddenly, the daily commute to work doesn't seem like such a difficult task.

Hurricane Irene's path is plodding toward a possible direct strike on the New York area. Forecast models show the storm could hit Long Island late Sunday or Sunday night at Category 1 strength, packing winds of 80 miles per hour or more.

The social media company sent its own Tweets following Tuesday's earthquake.

One day after New York was shaken and rattled by an earthquake, forecast models show that Hurricane Irene has taken aim at America's largest metropolitan area. The latest forecast models show Irene could make landfall late Sunday at hurricane strength, packing winds of 80 miles per hour or more.

Tuesday's unusual East Coast earthquake sent tremors from Georgia to New York, surprising residents who were not expecting such an event.

Google Doodle honors Argentine Jorge Luis Borges, a Virginia earthquake rocks the entire East Coast, Hurricane Irene is upgraded to a Category 3 storm as it approached the United States, and more in today's Daily Scoop

New York survived an earthquake that shook buildings and rattled nerves on Tuesday. Now, America's largest city is bracing for assault from Hurricane Irene, taking dead aim at the metropolitan area. The latest forecast models show Irene could make landfall late Sunday at hurricane strength, packing winds of 80 miles per hour or more.

Fifteen years ago, a growing sense of isolation due to old age prompted Kayoko Okawa, then 66, to knock on the door of a local volunteer center and timidly ask if it was possible for someone her age to start an online community for seniors.

U.S. East Coast was struck by an earthquake of magnitude 5.8 on Tuesday that some in New York and Washington briefly mistook for a terrorist attack.

U.S. shares were set to fall Wednesday, giving up some of the hefty gains of the previous session, which were based on hopes that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will announce measures to stimulate the economy

Flushing Meadows reportedly felt aftershocks from the earthquake, originated in Richmond, Virginia, measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale, even as the authorities suspended play at the nearby New Haven Open tennis tournament in Conneticut.

The Washington Monument will be closed indefinitely to the public after engineers found cracks in the stones at the top of the structure.

Here are a few maps that explain the Aug. 23, 2011 earthquake in Virginia, its locations, shocks that were felt across eastern U.S., damages it caused and more.

The Washington Monument has been closed to the public after Tuesday's earthquake, and will remain so until a proper safety assement can be completed, officials said.

Hurricane Irene, growing dangerous by each passing day, left the northwestern Caribbean, triggering high waves and heavy downpours which left about one million people in the dark in Puerto Rico. According to official storm predictions, the United States' Southeast region is under threat of a potential landfall towards the end of the week.

A 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit Virginia region in the U.S. on Tuesday at 1:51 p.m. (EDT), causing moderate tremors and several aftershocks across the U.S. East Coast.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has confirmed that a 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck central Virginia at 1:51 pm EDT. It is the strongest quake to hit the Virginia area since 1897.

Disruption of cell phone service by a rare East Coast earthquake on Tuesday prompted renewed calls for Congress and regulators to provide a dedicated wireless network for emergency workers.