An earthquake that spawned tremors from North Carolina to Ontario shocked quite a few Bermudians living in North America yesterday.The 5.9 magnitude earthquake, which was around half-a-mile deep, was centred northwest of Richmond, Virginia, according to the US Geological Survey.The tremors caused sections of the White House and the Pentagon to be evacuated, as well as the Bermuda Government office in the US capital.Beverle Lottimore, who heads the Washington DC office, described the experience as “traumatic”.She said the buildings in the area were being assessed for damage in the immediate aftermath of the shock quake.Ceiling tiles at Reagan National Airport outside of Washington fell during the period of shaking.So far, there have been no reports of lost life.Nathan Moore was in class at New England Law in downtown Boston, Massachusetts when the earthquake hit.“At first it felt like someone in our row of desks was shaking their legs or fidgeting, causing all of our desks to shake,” he said.“Quickly, we realised that there was more to it and people were clearly becoming anxious. It was quite apparent that the room was shaking which at this point you could actually see.“Quite an uncomfortable experience if you’ve never had that happen to you before.”Melissa Fox, who just started a new job in Ontario, Canada, said she was sitting at her desk when she felt the earthquake.“I thought maybe I had too much caffeine when the tremors hit,” she said. “Some of us out here in Toronto felt those tremors too, although I don’t believe there was any damage or interference with power.”Sonja Asante, a Bermudian living in New Jersey, told The Royal Gazette: “I [was] at home sick and was lying in my bed when I felt it shake at around 1.54pm.“At first I wasn’t sure what was happening, but I quickly learned I was feeling tremors from the earthquake. It was pretty eerie.”Arnette Mendes wrote on The Royal Gazette’s Facebook page: “My house shook here in Virginia Beach. All I could do is run outside. Wow. First time I ever felt anything like that.”Carron Hernandez said: “We are west of DC towards the Blue Ridge Mountains and the house here shook for about 20 seconds.”Devon Lambert, who was in Massachusetts, said: “Too much madness going on in this state. We just had a major tornado in June. I think it’s a sign I need to move back home to Bermy.”Other Bermudians reported feeling the earthquake in Brooklyn, Annapolis and Windsor, Ontario.