Shaken Up in by the Earthquake in Illinois

Early in the morning, residents of Illinois and parts of Indiana were shaken up a bit on Friday, at 4:40 a.m. It's not often that earthquakes are even felt in Illinois.

Being a citizen of Illinois myself, I was in my living room on the couch, almost asleep, and suddenly everything began to shake. I live near the railroad tracks, so I thought perhaps it was train. Of course, there wasn't any train whistle. The shaking continued for about thirty seconds. I peeked out of the window, and was hoping it was just a big truck passing by. That wasn't the issue either. I was frightened. Windows were rattling, the ground shook, and it almost felt as if the earth was just rumbling from an upset stomach. It felt very unreal because in my entire young life, I have never felt an earthquake, as I was born in 1981. I actually stood up during the earthquake, unsure of just what to do.

I called to my husband, "Umm, what was that?" My husband replied, "It felt like an earthquake." I began texting family and friends on my cell phone hoping for a reply. I finally heard from my mom who lives around 20 miles away, and she was relieved that it wasn't her imagination. She also felt the shake. My mother was closer to the epicenter than I was and felt more of the earthquake's magnitude.

Turning on the television news, I finally realized that many felt this odd earthquake and that I wasn't the only one. Most of the quake began near Oleny, Illinois, where the epicenter was. No major injuries or damage has been reported so far. The earthquake was measured at 5.4 on the scales.

The earthquake was actually recorded just before 4:37 a.m. on Friday morning, April 18, that was centered six miles west of Salem, Illinois and sixty-six miles from Evansville, Indiana. Some of the earthquake was said to be felt in Chicago, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, and Des Moines, Iowa. The quake shook some of the skyscrapers in Chicago and in downtown Indianapolis. There have been more reports of this sudden earthquake in Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri, St. Louis, and Memphis. Without a warning, and so early in the morning, many residents were awaken by such an odd occurrence here in the Midwest.