Illinois earthquake ripples St. Charles County
The center of the earthquake was near Bellmont, Ill., in the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone, which stretches across southeastern Illinois and southwestern Indiana, according to the National Earthquake Information Center.
In the Midwest, an earthquake of that magnitude could be felt nearly 10 times farther than a similar sized earthquake in California, according to the NEIC. People as far north as Michigan and as far south as Georgia reported feeling the earthquake to the NEIC. The earthquake caused some structural damage in Kentucky and in New Salem, Ill., but no deaths had been reported by Friday afternoon.St. Charles County dispatchers didn't receive any reports of damage in the county, but dispatchers did receive calls from people who were wondering what was going on, said Craig McGuire, spokesman for St. Charles County Sheriff's Department.
McGuire said the shaking woke him up, although at first he thought it was his dog knocking on the door.
"I'm thinking, 'What's that door rattling for?'" he said. "Then all of a sudden I'm going, 'The bed's shaking.'"
The earthquake was followed by an aftershock measuring 4.6 about 10 a.m. Friday.
The last major earthquake in the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone measured 5.4 and was in 1964, according to the NEIC. St. Charles County lies within the New Madrid Seismic Zone.
"It does serve a purpose in this area to kind of remind people what to do in an emergency," McGuire said. "We'd rather have a few dry runs like this than nothing happen for years upon years and then the big one hits."
Rebecca Watson, insurance agent, said she had received several calls from customers who wanted to check to see if they had earthquake insurance. Watson said earthquake coverage doesn't come standard, but should be added.
"I was thinking this morning when I heard the earthquake, I snickered at all the people I try to sell (an earthquake) policy to but they said we wouldn't have one."
What to do during an earthquake
> If you are inside, duck under the nearest sturdy object, cover your head with your arms, and hold on to whatever you're using for shelter.
> If you are outside, move away from buildings, move out from under power lines or other overhead hazards, and kneel and wait until the shaking stops.
> If you are driving, slow down and try to steer carefully off the road, avoid stopping on or under a bridge or overpass, and avoid stopping under power lines, highway signs or light poles.
Source: St. Charles County Division of Emergency Management
