Miami Feels Tremors From Earthquake Near Cuba and Jamaica

The earthquake was apparently so strong that tremors reached Miami.

January 28, 2020

Image: Twitter users in Miami reported feeling the ground shaking in areas across the county.

Twitter users in Miami reported feeling the ground shaking in areas across the county. Photo by Neil Williamson / Flickr

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Earlier this afternoon, a powerful but shallow 7.7-magnitude earthquake centered between Cuba and Jamaica shook the island nations. So far, no major damage or injuries have been reported.

But the quake was apparently so strong that tremors reached Miami. According to local news reports, several buildings in downtown Miami and Brickell have been evacuated as a safety precaution.

@OfficialJoelF Ground shaking. Bank of America building on Brickell Ave evacuated. pic.twitter.com/Y8uXx1aYkf
— Nikki (@nikki__anne) January 28, 2020

Miami City Commissioner Ken Russell tells New Times ten buildings in downtown Miami and Brickell have "self-evacuated." Officials are working to assess which structures require a mandatory clear-out, he says. The Stephen P. Clark Government Center has also closed. Miami police and fire-rescue have responded to the scene.

Twitter users reported feeling the ground shake in areas across Miami-Dade. Brandon Orr, a meteorologist with Local 10, posted a video of a conference-room table vibrating in Aventura. And Telemundo producer Opy Morales noted there were evacuations in the Dadeland area.

Came to pick up my boyfriend at work - EMERGENCY evacuations because the buildings are shaking #Miami @OfficialJoelF #datran pic.twitter.com/50G0TowuVO
— Gabrielle Alexander (@TheMutedAlpha) January 28, 2020

Shaking from the 7.7 magnitude Caribbean Earthquake felt in high-rises as far north as Aventura, FL, just north of Miami.

: Michael L. pic.twitter.com/Ln41irg33l
— Brandon Orr (@BrandonOrrWPLG) January 28, 2020

En el area de Dadeland se registraron evacuaciones pic.twitter.com/J8sADLKv0v
— Opy (@OpyMorales) January 28, 2020

As of now, no roads have been closed in Miami as a result of the earthquake. A spokesperson for Miami International Airport says operations are running normally this afternoon .

Jessica Lipscomb joined Miami New Times as a staff writer in 2016 and served as news editor from 2019 until 2022, when she moved on to the Washington Post. In 2024 she joined the Miami Herald as city editor.

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