nation

WASHINGTON - Structural engineering teams fanned out across the capital region Wednesday, assessing millions of dollars of damage caused by an earthquake that left potentially dangerous cracks in some landmarks, federal buildings, schools, churches and homes.

The Washington Monument, Washington National Cathedral and the Smithsonian Institution's "Castle" were closed as inspectors appraised the damage. And the National Building Museum was closed, forcing officials to move the opening event for the dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial this weekend to the Washington Convention Center.

"It's just surreal," said Joe Alonso, head mason of the cathedral in Northwest Washington, as he stood 300 feet above the street on the roof of the building he has tended for nearly 30 years, surveying cracked limestone angels, toppled spires and off-kilter pillars.

In suburban Prince George's County, Md., where nearly 200 public schools were shut for inspections, officials said 32 would remain closed Thursday because of safety concerns. Nearly all District of Columbia schools, which had also closed for inspections, were expected to reopen.

Although the full cost of the damage from Tuesday's 5.8-magnitude earthquake may not be known for days or weeks, it is expected to be high and mostly uninsured.

EQECAT, a California-based firm that helps insurance companies determine catastrophe risks, estimated Tuesday's quake, which rocked the East Coast from Georgia to Canada, caused $200 million to $300 million damage. Less than $100 million is insured.

Tom Larsen, a senior vice president of the company, said only 5 percent of East Coast property owners have earthquake coverage.

Government officials across the region encouraged residents to check their homes for cracks in foundations and chimneys and for leaks in gas and water lines.

Maryland, Virginia and District of Columbia officials said it was too early to estimate the cost of earthquake damage.

Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell, while touring the earthquake epicenter in Mineral, Va., pledged to pay for first responders' overtime and for damage to public infrastructure and equipment. "We know there are some things that can we do," McDonnell said.

At Miller's Market, where boxes of mashed potatoes and bottles of cooking oil were strewn on the floor, the owners told the governor they are not covered for damage that is likely to run to hundreds of thousands of dollars. "Please, help us," B.J. Singh pleaded.

"We will look for ways to help," McDonnell replied.

"We need all the help we can get," Singh said.

Although the damage to Washington National Cathedral is not structural, it will cost millions of dollars to repair the elaborate exterior because all the pieces were hand-wrought by artisans. Meanwhile, engineers were figuring how to stabilize cracked spires standing 300 feet above the ground. Three spires, or pinnacles, fell from the cathedral's highest point in Tuesday's quake, and a fourth shifted its position. The cathedral is not insured for earthquakes, a spokesman said.

Two churches in Culpeper, Va., also sustained damage, with one losing a chimney.