People throughout Kentuckiana, from an area as wide
as Evansville, Indiana to Central Kentucky, were awakened at 5:36:57
a.m. this morning by strong earthquake tremors lasting 30 seconds or
longer. Chicago skyscrapers shook and tall buildings in Indianapolis
swayed, with the quake felt as far away as Grand Rapids and Detroit,
Michigan, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (350 miles from the southeastern Illinois
epicenter), and
Atlanta, Georgia. According to the United States
Geological Survey (USGS), the magnitude 5.4 earthquake was centered
seven miles east of New Salem, IL, 66 miles from Evansville, IN. The
earthquake, which was 10 miles below the Earth’s surface, rivalled the
strongest on record in the area. Later in the morning, the quake was
downgraded to a 5.2, still in the intermediate range for damage.
No injuries were reported in the Kentuckiana
earthquake, although there was structural damage in downtown Louisville
at the Cosmopolitan building at 309 W. Kentucky St. between Second and
Third Sts., where bricks tumbled off an upper story of a brick building,
littering the sidewalk with rubble. Windows cracked at Fort Knox, and
there was damage to several area homes. Portions of Southern Indiana,
including Caesar’s casino, lost power. Students in high-rise
dormitories were evacuated at Western Kentucky University in Bowling
Green, KY. Windows at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN were also
shattered.
