News

Georgia Gets Snowstorms and Now This

by Sarah Hedgecock

The South just can't catch a break. After being battered by snowstorms over the last month, Georgia and South Carolina were struck by a magnitude 4.1 earthquake Friday night. It didn't cause any major damage to infrastructure, but investigations are ongoing.

The snowstorms that have struck the East Coast in recent weeks were particularly harsh on the southern states – the blizzard two weeks ago crippled Georgia, and South Carolina declared a state of emergency last week during round two of the snowfall. But things finally seemed to be looking up: emergency declarations were lifted, snow was melting, and temperatures were rising. But Mother Nature likes to keep people on their toes.

The quake, which was magnitude 4.1, struck at 10:23 p.m. Its epicenter was near Edgefield, South Carolina, but the shaking was felt 150 miles away, as far as Hickory, North Carolina, and Atlanta, Georgia. Some minor earthquake damage was reported, including a possible crack in a water tower in Augusta, Georgia, and damage to the floor of a hospital in Edgefield. Engineers are inspecting bridges for possible damage, but authorities say this is standard after an earthquake and not because of increased concern.

A few cracks here and there might not sound like much, but residents are still shaken. Just like the two inches of snow that paralyzed the area the last few weeks, a minor earthquake here is a big deal. "I felt my house shake and called the police ... to find out if I was losing it," one resident said in a statement obtained by USA Today. "I have never felt an earthquake in my 65 years. It shook my bed and chairs."

Image: Getty Images