Ground Report

Per the USGS, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Honduras early Thursday morning. The quake occurred offshore, 80 miles north/northeast of La Ceiba, Honduras.

Per El Periódico in Guatemala, Honduras experienced building damage, as well as a major fire in San Pedro Sula. Communication issues were also a problem in the region.

@da_an2 provided the first tweet on the quake, with other Twitterers in Honduras quick to follow him:

1. da_an2 (Honduras) omg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! esta temblando!!!!!!!!!!!!! earthquake!!!!!!!!!!!!! 28 May 2009 from TweetDeck
2. da_an2 (Honduras) ay no! todavia siento como q estoy temblando :s (ay no! still feel like I’m shaking q: s) 28 May 2009 from TweetDeck
3. mattwilmeth (Tegucigalpa, Honduras) Wow, just got woke up by my first earthquake. 28 May 2009 from Twitterrific
4. filosofic (San Pedro Sula, Honduras) Earthquake…. 20 secs at least, whole house shaking…. everone ok 28 May 2009 from web
5. Anarru (Tegucigalpa, Honduras) 7.4 in the Ritcher scale!!!! SHIT!!!!! OMG!!!!!! The strongest Earthquake in my personal record! I will not be sleeping tonight. 28 May 2009 from web

Here’s a collection of tweets from nearby countries, as the quake was felt throughout the region:

1. jlsanz (San Salvador, El Salvador) Fuerte temblor en San Salvador a las 2:26 am. ¿Alguien sabe algo? (Strong earthquake in San Salvador at 2:26 am. Anybody know anything?) 28 May 2009 from web
2. tsubasaozora17 (Quetzaltenango, Guatemala) wow… temblor suuuuper largo… me asusté… gracias a Dios no pasó a mayores, espero ke todos estén bien (wow … long … suuuuper tremor I was scared … thank God was not higher, I hope all is well ke) 28 May 2009 from web
3. RioDulce (Guatemala) Big earthquake here just now. 28 May 2009 from web
4. myisland (Belize) Whoa, was that an earthquake? In Belize? 28 May 2009 from Twitterrific
5. manolazarco (Guatemala) I just woke up to what it felt like a more-than-one-minute mini earthquake…. how lovely, riiiiiiight. 28 May 2009 from TweetDeck
6. thevenomousone (Guatemala City, Guatemala) Earthquake in Honduras. So strong it was felt in Guatemala as well. 7.1 offshore atlantic. D: http://is.gd/I0eW 28 May 2009 from twhirl

In the aftermath of the quake, Twitterers shared preliminary reports of damage and various issues, both their own observations and those provided by local media:

1. rodrigolopez (San Pedro Sula, Honduras) Woke up to an earthquake. Thank God we’re all right. Apparently it was pretty bad at El Progreso. Work’s firewall is unreacheable. 28 May 2009 from TwitterFon
2. mapiroq (San Salvador, El Salvador) Se confirma que hay varios incendios en San Pedro Sula, Puerto Cortéz y la Ceiba. ([Media] confirms that there are several fires in San Pedro Sula, Puerto Cortes and Ceiba [Honduras].) 28 May 2009 from TweetDeck
3. mapiroq (San Salvador, El Salvador) No hay comunicación con las islas de Roatán. (No communication with the islands of Roatan.) 28 May 2009 from TweetDeck
4. mapiroq (San Salvador, El Salvador) No hay electricidad en puerto barrios (There is no electricity in puerto barrios) 28 May 2009 from TweetDeck
5. jovanyjoey (San Pedro, Belize) @shortythenut I noticed, thx, but it doesn’t make me feel any better, honestly. Friends on mainland Belize say they felt aftershocks. 28 May 2009 from web
6. thevenomousone (Guatemala City, Guatemala) RT: El Periodico reports no injuries or damage confirmed in Guatemala, but there is heavy damage and fires in Honduras. No deaths confirmed. 28 May 2009 from twhirl
7. thevenomousone (Guatemala City, Guatemala) Former CNN Español producer Carol Frazer explains what she felt as a strong earthquake hit off the coast of Honduras. http://is.gd/I3bb 28 May 2009 from twhirl
8. mapiroq (San Salvador, El Salvador) se confirma la caida de varias estructuras en la región costera del norte de honduras. ([Media] confirms the fall of several structures in the coastal region of Northern Honduras.) 28 May 2009 from TweetDeck
9. winjama (Corozal, Belize) An earthquake last night caused some damage in Placencia and Mango Creek. There was a tsunami watch in the Cayes. 28 May 2009 from web