A 5.9 magnitude earthquake centered near Richmond, Va., felt as far north as Ontario, Canada, caused millions of North Americans to reach for their cellphones and call friends and family asking “did you just feel that?”  The result: cellular networks faced severe congestion for approximately 30 minutes just after the earthquake hit at 1:51pm EDT.

The earthquake, which lasted as long as 45 seconds, has been irresistible catnip for television media, as stations up and down the east cost interrupt regular programming in a breathless, hyped hunt for damage.  In the nation’s capitol, hundreds of thousands of workers decided to call it a day, and are currently clogging highways in an effort to get home.  They are talking on their cell phones, too.

WUSA-TV in Washington is covering building damage, mostly to older structures that have spewed bricks and concrete onto the sidewalks below.  Injuries so far appear to be minor.

Sprint is calling today’s earthquake the spark for a “temporary mass calling event,” causing a number of calls to fail.  But little, if any, permanent damage has been done to wireless infrastructure.

But it is another example of what happens to America’s communications infrastructure during any significant event, major or not: wireless clogs that only subside when customers get off their phones.

[For the record, at Stop the Cap! HQ in suburban Rochester, N.Y., we did not feel a thing.]