HUNTINGTON, W.Va. –A magnitude 3.3 earthquake has been reported in areas near Huntington.
The earthquake was reportedly felt at around 4:40 Monday afternoon. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake was centered not far from Chesapeake, Ohio.
According to multiple reports, the earthquake was felt in areas of Cabell County such as Huntington, Barboursville, and as far east as Milton.
Gordon Merry
Cabell County EMS Director Gordon Merry, who was at home at the time of impact, says he felt the quaking in a big way.
“I was at my house when it happened, and honestly, I thought a car ran through my house that’s how hard it shook it,” Merry said.
Merry says calls came in one by one after the quaking was felt across certain parts of the state’s second largest city.
“It got in the west end of Huntington and some of the outlying areas outside of Huntington. The 911 lines were just inundated,” Merry said.
Merry also says no injuries were reported to him in the hours after the quake, but state DOH workers are making checks in Huntington.
“There were no injuries. I don’t know of any damages,’ Merry said. “DOH is checking the three bridges, which obviously, probably are our most concern.”
The bridges Merry mentioned in the city are the 6th Street bridge, the 31st Street bridge, and the 17th Street West bridge.
While he and his staff are prepared for just about anything, Merry says an earthquake affecting Cabell County was not on his radar.
“It’s something that you don’t expect,” Merry said. “If you told me it was a big ice storm or snowstorm or flooding, we’re pretty good at those, but this is a first.”
West Virginia’s largest known recorded earthquake was in 1976 when a 4.6 magnitude quake hit Welch in McDowell County.