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Illinois officials assessing quake damage

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By Kurt Erickson | Friday, April 18, 2008 |

SPRINGFIELD — State transportation officials launched an early-morning review of bridges and roads Friday in the wake of a 5.2-magnitude earthquake centered in southeastern Illinois.

That was one part of the post-quake assessment that got under way after residents throughout the Midwest were awakened by the temblor at 4:37 a.m.

No major injuries were reported, and inspectors did not find any damaged roadways.

Residents of the region were dealing with a variety of property damage.

“My house looks like a war zone right now,” said Judy Fields of West Salem, located about eight miles from the epicenter. “It was pretty scary.”

Along with a broken window and several shelves of household items strewn on the floors of her two-story home, a toilet was split in two by the rumbling.

“The whole house was just shaking,” Fields said.

Patti Thompson, spokeswoman for the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, said teams began visual inspections of all bridges within a 50-mile radius of the quake.

Along with the Illinois Department of Transportation, state agencies that went on alert included the National Guard, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and Illinois Department of Public Health.

Thompson said the state received reports of property damage to homes and businesses in the region, but there have been no requests for state assistance.

“It’s pretty much being handled on the local level,” she added.

The Illinois National Guard issued a statement that it was ready to respond if needed.

State Rep. Roger Eddy, R-Hutsonville, whose district encompasses some of the area, said smaller tremors are not uncommon in the region. But he said the pre-dawn shaking was a wake-up call to be prepared.

“It was a friendly reminder from God that we live on a fault line,” he added.

Officials said the state experienced at least six aftershocks following the initial quake. One measured as high as magnitude 4.6.

Mary Blackwood of Murphysboro was visiting her sister at Thelma’s Bed and Breakfast in West Salem when the first earthquake hit. She said occupants were alarmed by the shaking, but no major damage was sustained by the old brick home.

“A few things fell off the walls,” she said. “If you drive down the street, you wouldn’t know this happened. But inside people’s houses, that’s a different story.”

Kurt Erickson can be contacted at (217) 789-0865 or kurt.erickson@lee.net.