I was sitting in my office near the airport in Tulsa. My chair began to shake. I turned around, thinking someone was jerking on the back of my desk chair, but nobody was there. It was an earthquake.
Centered near Norman Oklahoma, the quake was felt nearly 1,000 miles away in Tennessee. The USGS is estimating the strength of the earthquake at a 4.3 magnitude, but reports are surfacing that it was actually a 5.1. I’ve tried to confirm the new report, but I’ve been unable to do that yet. I’ll update this post if I’m able to confirm it.
There’s no official reports of damage in the Tulsa area that I can find, but unofficial reports indicate broken windows in Tulsa and other damage east of here. One news report out of Wichita said 2 people were taken to the hospital from injuries sustained during the earthquake.
Yes, in Tulsa, we not only have to worry about tornadoes, floods and extreme temperatures. Today reminded us that we can have earthquakes here too!
Update: The OGS is estimating the earthquake at a 5.1. The USGS is estimating it at a 4.3. Apparently both estimates are correct. More information can be found here: http://www.okgeosurvey1.gov/
Update: OGS downgraded earthquake to a 4.7, closing the gap with the USGS. Second strongest earthquake on record for Oklhaoma. The biggest quake was a 5.5.