LOUISVILLE, Ky. —
The U.S. Geological Survey is reporting that an earthquake centered in Kentucky also rattled at least eight other states.
The USGS website says the epicenter of the 4.3 magnitude earthquake on Saturday afternoon was about 10 miles west of Whitesburg, near the Virginia line. Residents in both states, as well as West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Indiana, Ohio and Georgia, also reported feeling the temblor.
National Weather Service spokesman Jeff Carico said employees at the office in Jackson, which is about 60 miles northwest of Whitesburg, felt the ground shake for about 15 seconds. He says the office has gotten numerous calls, but so far no one has reported any serious damage.
USGS geophysicist John Bellini said the quake is considered “light.”
“It’s not going to cause any significant damage,” he said.
Bellini said people near the epicenter might have pictures fall off walls or books tumble from shelves.
That’s exactly what happened at the Blackey Public Library, which is just west of Whitesburg in Letcher County and about 200 miles southeast of Louisville. Library worker Bonnie Asher said she was coming downstairs when she heard a big boom. Asher said the entire building shook and the lights flickered off and on, and at first she thought maybe a plane had crashed nearby.
“It was very scary,” she said. “It knocked about 14 books off one shelf.”
Otherwise, though, she said it happened quickly and there wasn’t any lasting damage.
Whitesburg resident Charlotte Brown said she was at home and talking to a friend at her front door when she felt the ground start to shake — just a little bit at first, then harder.
“It made me nervous,” she said, but the shaking lasted only a few seconds and didn’t hurt anything.
“It did shake the house and the dishes rattled,” she said.
In Tennessee, some workers at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge felt the temblor, but spokeswoman Ryn Etter said there was no impact to the plant.
Tennessee Valley Authority spokeswoman Jessica Stone said no problems from the quake have been reported at any plants operated by the nation’s largest public utility.
Top News
4.3 magnitude earthquake reported in Ky.
-
-
Official: Broken rail eyed in Conn. train crash
The commuter train derailment and collision that left dozens injured outside New York City was not the result of foul play, officials said Saturday, but a fractured section of rail is being studied to determine if it is connected to the accident.
-
FBI searches apartment in ricin letter case
Authorities in hazardous materials suits searched a downtown Spokane apartment Saturday, investigating the recent discovery of a pair of letters containing the deadly poison ricin.
-
Up to 60 injured after car drives into Va. parade
An elderly driver plowed into dozens of hikers marching in a Saturday parade in a small Virginia mountain town and investigators were looking into whether he suffered a medical emergency before the accident.
-
Authorities: Hofstra student was killed by police
A Hofstra University student being held in a headlock at gunpoint by an intruder was accidently shot and killed by a police officer who had responded to the home invasion at an off-campus home, police said Saturday.
-
Last-minute fortune seekers buy Powerball tickets
It’s all about the odds.
With four out of every five possible combinations of Powerball numbers in play, someone is almost sure to win the game’s highest jackpot, a windfall of hundreds of millions of dollars — and that’s after taxes. -
Today in History for Sunday, May 19, 2013
Today is Sunday, May 19, the 139th day of 2013. There are 226 days left in the year.
-
Valdosta Brain/Spinal Injury meeting Tuesday
Valdosta Brain/Spinal Injury meeting Tuesday
-
Bombs targeting Sunnis kill at least 76 in Iraq
Bombs ripped through Sunni areas in Baghdad and surrounding areas Friday, killing at least 76 people in the deadliest day in Iraq in more than eight months. The major spike in sectarian bloodshed heightened fears the country could again be veering toward civil war.
-
Tornado-ravaged Texas town to start recovery
Residents whose homes were torn apart or blown away by a North Texas deadly tornado can soon return to retrieve what belongings may be left and start cleaning up, authorities said Friday.
-
Conn. commuter trains collide; 60 go to hospitals
Two commuter trains serving New York City collided in Connecticut during Friday’s evening rush hour, sending 60 people to the hospital, including five with critical injuries, Gov. Dannel Malloy said.
- More Top News Headlines
-
