US | earthquake Washington Monument Springs a Leak Hurricane Irene flooded quake-damaged landmark By Rob Quinn Posted Sep 1, 2011 3:56 AM CDT Updated Sep 1, 2011 5:56 AM CDT Copied Officials inspect the Washington Monument last week amid debris that fell to the floor after a 5.8 magnitude struck the Washington area. (AP Photo/National Park Service) The East Coast earthquake and Hurricane Irene have left the Washington Monument flooded. Engineers plugged cracks in the monument caused by last week's quake before the storm hit, but pools of water were found inside during a post-hurricane inspection, indicating that some cracks are still undiscovered. "There were some leaks that we were not able to identify or able to plug," a National Parks Service spokeswoman tells CNN. "What happened was a lot of mortar popped out, so much so that you can see sunlight above 450 feet in the monument." The monument will remain closed for the foreseeable future, but engineers say it is still structurally sound. Read These Next UPS driver hits the Slip 'N Slide with some partying teens. Lorde's risque photo causes a fuss. After girl goes overboard on cruise, 'hero' dad to the rescue. Judge orders witnesses in Kohberger case to testify. Report an error