'The whole house was shaking': a powerful earthquake hit Idaho

According to preliminary data from the US Geological Survey, on Tuesday, March 31, in the evening north-east of Boise (Idaho), an earthquake of 6,5 magnitude occurred. Writes about it CNN.

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There were no direct reports of injuries, but users of social networks in several cities reported feeling jolts. The U.S. Geological Survey reports that the epicenter was nearly 45 miles (72 km) west of the city of Challis and not far from Beaver Creek along the ridge Salmon river mountains. The earthquake occurred around 18:00. It was concentrated 73 miles (118 km) northeast of Meridian, near the town of Stanley.

“Yes, we felt it too. There are no reports of injuries, Boise Police Department officials tweeted. - Stay safe. Call us if you need us."

Shortly afterwards, in the same area, according to the National Meteorological Service, a repeat earthquake of 4,6 magnitude was recorded.

A message appeared on the Facebook page of the Valley County Sheriff’s office that there were no reports of injuries or significant damage.

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According to the US Geological Survey, more than 2 million people live in the region, while there are reports of tremors from Helena (Montana), and from Salt Lake City (Utah), writes ABC News.

Marcus Smith, coordinator of the emergency room at the St. Luc Wood River Medical Center, said that the hospital, located about 65 miles (104 kilometers) south of the epicenter, also felt tremors, but the earthquake did not prevent any treatment patients.

Blaine County Hospital is at the forefront of the coronavirus outbreak in Idaho, in the region with the country's highest per capita prevalence of COVID-19 outside of New York and its surrounding counties.

“It was like a wave going through the ground, so I immediately knew it was an earthquake,” he said.

The earthquake added stress to the already tense time for the region, but the situation is under control.

Brett Woolley, the owner of the Stanley Bridge Street grill, said he heard the earthquake happen before he felt it.

“I heard a roar and at first it sounded like wind, but then the roar got louder,” Woolley said. “The whole house shook and I started to panic.” I sat completely still."

Dr. Lucy Jones, a seismologist at the California Institute of Technology and founder of the Center for Science and Seismology, says an earthquake of about this size occurs in Idaho every 30 or 40 years.

According to the Idaho Emergency Management Agency, the largest and most devastating earthquake in Idaho's history occurred in 1983, when a magnitude 6,9 earthquake struck Challis. Two schoolchildren died under the rubble of a destroyed building. The earthquake caused about $ 12,5 million in material damage.

According to Jones, scientists call such an earthquake a “normal mistake,” and it causes vertical movement. The earthquake that occurred on Tuesday, March 31, apparently occurred due to unmapped “holes”, causing mainly horizontal movement along the fault line.

“This fault was not obvious enough to be mapped before,” Jones said.

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According to her, faults of this size not mapped are less common in densely populated areas such as California, but in sparsely populated and remote regions such as central Idaho, they are less dangerous and less likely to become the focus of geologists and seismologists.

According to her, residents of the region are likely to continue to experience tremors. The area has already recorded five tremors in the first hours after the earthquake.

“An aftershock is the same as an earthquake,” she said.

According to her, people who feel an earthquake should lie on the floor and cover their heads with their hands.

“Lie down on the floor before you fall from the earthquake, and if you have a table nearby, get under it,” Jones said. — Running during an earthquake is incredibly dangerous - people die from it. Just lie down and try to cover yourself.”

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