Earthquake hits Utah, takes out power
18 aftershocks strike as 2.8 million people feel effects; governor says stay home
SALT LAKE CITY — A 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck near Magna, Utah, on Wednesday morning, knocking out power for tens of thousands of people in the largest earthquake that the state has felt since 1992, authorities said.
The quake just after 7 a.m. damaged the spire and statue atop the iconic Salt Lake Temple. Elsewhere, bricks were showered onto sidewalks, and a chemical plume was released outside the city.
The epicenter was just southwest of Salt Lake City, between the airport and Great Salt Lake. It was felt by about 2.8 million people who were already hunkered down inside their homes to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Many ran outside in panic amid the shaking that lasted as long as 15 seconds.
“This is extremely bad timing, because we already have the coronavirus issue going on right now causing a lot of anxiety,” Gov. Gary Herbert said.
He was urging people to stay home unless they work in public safety. In the two hours after the earthquake, the U.S. Geological Survey said, 18 aftershocks rippled through the area, the largest a 4.6-magnitude earthquake.
“I know the last thing we need right now is an earthquake, but here we are,” Mayor Erin Mendenhall of Salt Lake City said on Twitter.
Planes were diverted from Salt Lake City International Airport and the control tower and concourses were evacuated. Far fewer people than normal were in the airport, due to the coronavirus precautions. On a typical travel day, the airport would have had about 24,000 people inside and more making connections. But there were just 9,000 on Wednesday, making an evacuation easier, airport executive director Bill Wyatt said.
Marsha Guertzgen of Evanston, Wyoming, was about to board a flight when the quake struck. “Pandemonium and chaos” immediately broke out in the terminal — only to be heightened by each aftershock, she said.
“Everybody was running around, they were scared, I don’t think they knew what was going on,” she said. “People were screaming, kids were screaming, people were climbing under things.”
No runway damage was found and most of the damage in the terminal appeared to be caused by a broken waterline, Wyatt said. Cargo and noncommercial flights resumed hours later, but commercial flights were delayed into the afternoon.
People reported feeling the quake in the neighboring Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming and Nevada.
The quake shut down light-rail service for Salt Lake City and its suburbs. The chemical plume was released at Kennecott copper mine west of Salt Lake City and moved toward the Great Salt Lake, said Clint Mecham, Salt Lake County’s emergency manager. Officials have not identified the chemicals involved, but Mecham said it was not expected to affect people since it’s moving away from populated areas.
Paramedics and fire crews responding to emergency calls asked people to first disclose if they have symptoms of coronavirus. If they did, the crews put on masks, gowns and gloves before attending to them.
Some virus testing was delayed by the earthquake, and the state’s coronavirus hotline was temporarily shut down while damage assessments were conducted.
Damage was reported to roads and bridges, and natural gas leaks were reported at state government buildings, said Utah Commissioner of Public Safety Jess Anderson.
Near the epicenter of the quake in the small town of Magna, 14 buildings were damaged and 100 people were evacuated, Unified Fire spokesman Matthew McFarland said.
At the Salt Lake Temple near the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the trumpet held by the Angel Moroni fell from the statue at the top of the temple, and stones were displaced from the spire.
About 73,000 homes and businesses lost electricity in the Salt Lake City area, but power was quickly being restored in some areas, said utility Rocky Mountain Power.
Mendenhall, the mayor, looked for a silver lining to the timing in a video to residents. “Can you believe this is happening?” she said.
“We are in a better position to deal with an earthquake than we would’ve been without a pandemic in some really strange ways. We’ve been preparing to shelter in place; we’ve been preparing to take care of ourselves for a couple of weeks. We’re as ready as we can be.”