Yesterday's earthquake, centered in Virginia, shook communities up and down the East Coast. In Washington D.C., it damaged the National Cathedral. In New York, it gave thousands of office workers a late lunch break. What did it do in your neighborhood? All day on our show, we heard responses from listeners giving us their own earthquake story. But now with the help of our friends at Mobile Commons, you can also tell the level of severity of the quake in your zip code. 

A very rare event happened In the northeastern part of the United States yesterday. A 5.8 magnitude earthquake centered in Mineral, Virginia sent tremors outward, all the way north to New York and New England, and south to North Carolina. Limited damage was reported and some even found the event to be exciting. The earthquake follows a number of natural disasters we have witnessed this year, including Japan's massive quake and tsunami, tornadoes ravaging southern states and the Mississippi River rising to historic levels, flooding cities in its path. And now Hurricane Irene, which experts predict could turn into a category 4 storm, and may hit Florida on Friday.

We’ve heard the reports and told the stories of Japan, how it’s facing its worst crisis since World War II, about a death toll in the tens of thousands, the massive destruction of entire cities, and continuing threats of nuclear meltdown. Now, here’s more terrifying news: The threat of earthquakes hasn’t gone away — it has increased. Thomas Jordan is the Director of the Southern California Earthquake Center. And his work shows that Japan is under an increased threat for aftershocks. He appears in a new NOVA special "Japan's Killer Quake," which premiers tonight on PBS. Collum Macrae is one of the producers of the documentary.

It’s been two weeks since the earthquake and tsunami hit Northeastern Japan. Ever since that day, Japanese officials have been working tirelessly to avert a nuclear disaster. Friday morning, Japanese nuclear safety officials said that they suspect that the reactor core at one unit of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant may have breached. That raises the possibility of more severe radioactive contamination to the environment. Henry Fountain, Science Reporter for The New York Times explains the latest.

The tsunami came too quickly. Japan's coastal towns had only a 30-minute warning, which was barely enough time to escape the wave, and for many disabled citizens, not enough time at all. The disabled are among the most vulnerable victims of the recent destruction in Japan. Yukiko and Shoji Nakanishi are members of a Japanese relief organization that is working tirelessly to provide shelter and evacuation support to northern Japan's disabled populations. 

Operation Odyssey Dawn began Saturday with coalition missiles targeting Moammar Gadhafi's tanks and air defenses. Is the United States leading this effort? Meanwhile, relief and rescue efforts continue in Japan and time is of the essence as over 12,000 people are still missing and 8,000 have been confirmed dead so far. 

The chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has given a much more dire analysis of the nuclear threat bearing down on Japan than Japanese officials. Gregory Jaczko told Congress yesterday that the damage to at least one reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant was more serious than Tokyo has described, and suggested Americans in that country stay at least 50 miles away — well above the Japanese evacuation area of 12 miles from the plant.

The tsunami that hit Japan's coast, washed away streets, brought down buildings and wiped away landmarks, essentially erasing any map of the region. This poses an immense challenge to relief teams who have to work immediately and systematically to save victims.

Japan teeters on the brink of a nuclear meltdown following the 8.9 earthquake and the enormous tsunami. Meanwhile, many in the U.S. are pondering the state of our nuclear power plants if they ever faced a similar bout with mother nature. The U.S. is the home of 104 nuclear reactor sites, four of them along the west coast — famed for its fault line and earthquakes — one in Washington, two in California, and three in Arizona. 

Japan is faced with a massive humanitarian crisis and potential nuclear threat after last week's earthquake and tsunami. The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 took the lives of over 140,000 Japanese citizens and destroyed the cities of Tokyo and Yokohama. During World War II, Hiroshima and Nagasaki were nearly wiped off the map in an instant flash of nuclear fission. And tsunami is, of course, a Japanese word. How has Japanese culture handled natural disaster and tragedy in the past?

A year ago, when the monumental earthquake of January 2010 hit Haiti, 250,000 people died, even more were injured, and roughly one million were left homeless. But the tragedy didn’t end there. At the same time that millions of civilians mourned, over 4,000 prisoners escaped from the national penitentiary and began a reign of terror over the nation’s tent cities that continues today; raping women and children, brutalizing citizens, and controlling access to drinking water and electricity.

Beginning next month, the U.S. government will end the special immigration status granted to certain Haitians left homeless by January's devastating earthquake. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — part of the Department of Homeland Security — says that they will only deport Haitians who had been convicted of crimes and finished serving their sentences; however, within New York's Haitian population, reaction has gone from concern to anger, as slow reconstruction coupled with a deadly cholera epidemic means an uncertain future for those forced to return home.

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake rocked Indonesia on Monday and caused a 10 foot tsunami, has left the country devastated. The latest death toll is at 272 and expected to rise. Rescue teams are battling through uprooted forests to reach at least 400 people believed to be missing. The country was already reeling from a volcano eruption on Java that killed 28 people. Patrick Barta, Southeast Asia bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal, is coordinating coverage of the twin disasters for his paper. He reports live from Singapore, where he is stationed until he is allowed to travel to Indonesia.

Haiti's higher education system — already highly dysfunctional before the quake — is in shambles. The January 12 earthquake destroyed 90 percent of its school buildings and tore down nine of the state university's thirteen campuses. In a country that needs massive rebuilding and new leadership, who is taking care of educating its next generation of architects, politicians and doctors?

Yesterday's earthquake in the Chinese region of Yushu has left over six hundred people dead and thousands wounded. We hear from Jamin, an American tour guide who tells us what the country needs most, including winter supplies, tents, and machinery to help dig out those who are still stuck under the rubble. He also notes that the rescue efforts kicked into gear almost immediately following the quake.

• EARTHQUAKE TAKEOUT: A 7.2 earthquake shook Baja, California yesterday afternoon and was felt across Southern California. Susan Hough, seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey gives us the latest from Pasadena.
• COURT TAKEOUT: Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens says he may soon announce his retirement after more than 34 years on the bench. Adam Liptak, Supreme Court correspondent for our partner The New York Times helps predict when the announcement may come and its political implications.

Over 700 lay dead and over two million have been left homeless after the weekend's 8.8 earthquake rocked Chile. Pascale Bonnefoy, correspondent for The Global Post in Chile has an update from Santiago, and says that many of the homeless are staying with relatives or they are on the streets trying to protect their property from vandals and looters.

Saturday's earthquake struck Chile with a force that was 500 times more powerful than the quake that hit Haiti last month, and set off a tsunami that destroyed villages up the coast. Millions of Chileans were displaced, and there are reports of gas, food and water shortages as people scramble to meet their needs.

Dr. Steven Landau, a family physician from Smithfield, N.C. rushed to Haiti after the earthquake to do his part in the relief effort. He was not prepared for the emotional toll of the experience. He tells us what he saw and how he coped.