Crossroads residents feel
Illinois earthquake
Published Saturday, April 19
By L.A. Story Houry
Staff writer

A 5.2 magnitude earthquake that rocked Southern Illinois, was reportedly felt by several Crossroads area residents between 4:30 and 5:00 a.m. Friday morning -- and it was not a drill.

It was an odd coincidence that the effects of a real tremor were felt just hours before an advance unit for "Vigilant Guard 08" rolled into the area to begin setting up for a large scale disaster drill -- based on an earthquake scenario.

Local Emergency Services Coordinator Ricky Gibens said several residents reported feeling the tremor between 4:30 and 5:00 a.m. Friday morning.

Jacinto resident and firefighter, Jackie Farr, and his wife, Tara Farr, both felt the quake.

"It was close to 4:36 that it woke me up," said Farr. "It rattled the mirrors in the bathroom and that's what woke us up. Well, it woke my wife up first ... she thought it might have been an intruder."

Farr said he later spoke with his father, Lloyd Farr, and his father said the tremor woke him as well.

Daily Corinthian employees, Tresa Condra and Sue Bronson, also said they had felt the quake.

Bronson, a Kendrick area resident, said that, at first, she wondered if she were experiencing a moment of vertigo as she lay in her bed. She called out to her husband, Wade Bronson, but he had not noticed anything.

Condra, who lives in a second-floor apartment in Corinth, said the quake woke her up.

"I could feel the whole apartment move. The building just swayed," said Condra.

According to a CNN report, the epicenter of the quake -- reportedly the strongest in the region in 40 years -- was approximately seven miles below ground and 38 miles north-northwest of Evansville, Ind.

The last -- and largest earthquake in the same region as a 5.4 magnitude quake in 1968.

It is a strong case of irony that the very real tremor occurred just a day before the multi-state disaster drill -- part of which will take place in Corinth. The drill is set to begin at noon today and conclude April 26.

The drill's basis is a scenario involving a 7.6 Richter Scale magnitude earthquake along the New Madrid fault line near Memphis, Tenn., with an epicenter in Arkansas.

"This drill will involve all of our local emergency services, state emergency management. It will be a unified command with the military in charge," said Gibens.

The event will involve several states including Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Missouri, along with the Federal government and civilian professionals, said Gibens. Locally, the event will use the department heads of many different entities such as public works, firefighters, local National Guard, law enforcement, American Red Cross personnel and the Magnolia Regional Health Center. All of the participating command personnel will work out of an established and secure Emergency Operations Center (EOC) located at the Emergency Management Building on Levee Road.

Playing out the earthquake scenario, personnel will perform as if it were a real world event -- working long shifts and performing mock exercises based on possible situations that could arise from the earthquake.

There will be a mock bus wreck -- with a bus transporting civilians from their homes to a shelter. During this exercise, emergency personnel will perform auto extrication with "Jaws" participation.

Another exercise -- on April 22 -- will be a mock pipeline explosion.

The American Red Cross will also be involved in creating a shelter for disaster victims. The Red Cross will have a liaison at the EOC. Area residents can expect to see up to 50-60 National Guard personnel with possibly up to 20 vehicles coming into the area for the drill.

Gibens noted the importance of informing the public of the upcoming drill because of the military personnel coming into the area, and also because the exercises being performed will be announced over the scanner system -- very likely alarming unsuspecting listeners.

Updates on the drill, and any exercises being performed as a result, will be reported during the week as information becomes available.

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