Federal nuclear regulators gave the all clear on Wednesday after the largest earthquake to hit the Washington region since 2011 struck off the coast of Maryland Tuesday night.
No nuclear plants in the vicinity of the earthquake were affected, said Diane Screnci, Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokeswoman for its Region I office.
“All are continuing to operate safely,” she added. “We have no safety concerns.”
Nuclear reactors must follow strict standards to guard against weather and other safety incidents that may affect their storage and use of radioactive materials.
Earthquake safety was made a top concern after the 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan, which was the result of a massive tsunami caused by an earthquake.
The Daiichi power plant suffered numerous catastrophic failures releasing radiation into a region about 180 miles north of Tokyo. The NRC is in the final stages of implementing the safety protocols for power plants in the U.S. eight years after the disaster.
The Calvert Cliffs nuclear power station in Maryland, east of Washington, D.C., was unaffected by the Tuesday night tremor, said an official.
The quake occurred off the coast of Ocean City, Md., and was reportedly felt by residents, but with no damage reported. The U.S. Geological Survey did not issue a tsunami warming.
The agency showed the earthquake measured 4.6 on the Richter scale, making it the largest quake to rock the lower 48 states in the last 24 hours. It was almost double the intensity of several quakes that occurred in the 24 hours in California.
Typically, earthquakes between 5.5 and 8.9 on the Richter scale inflict the most damage.
A 5.8 earthquake struck the Washington, D.C., region in August 2011. The quake damaged monuments and building facades throughout the city and nearby suburbs.
The National Cathedral in Washington continues to carry out repairs from the damage.
