We're okay. Not looking forward to sunrise tomorrow. Lots of damage to downtown buildings in Cushing. I don't think there are any serious injuries, but too early to tell.

Glad to hear you're ok.

Glad you're OK and hope you don't find too much damage tomorrow. Cushing is all over the news this morning.

OMG Glad, you are OK.
From,
VAT Return

Choppers all over the place lolz Still haven't heard of pipe damage. Hopefully that's all okay. The epi was WAY close to the pipes, maybe right on them.

I will be amazed if there is absolutely no damage to the pipes. Of course, we all hope there is no damage. The images of damaged facades and awnings in downtown are bad enough. I did notice they acted very quickly last night to shut down those pipelines and to check them all. The Powers That Be don't want to contaminate your area's soil and groundwater with oil spills if they can avoid it, so let's give them credit for that.

It seems like the number of quakes that we all began noticing (was it around 2009? 2010?) keep growing and growing and growing. There's not just more of them, but more of the stronger ones. Just look at how many 5s there have been this year. I just think that cannot be a good sign at all.

I was very impressed by how quickly they responded - especially to the power outage. For the power, I think they had it fully planned. It was on within ten minutes. We live next door to both the power station and the fire department and police department and only several blocks from downtown. The emergency services stations had back up generators. They suffered damage on their brand new structure, but only some ceiling tiles and a few bricks here and there.

Since you're near the PD and FD and the power station, I expect your power always will come back on rather quickly. I've seen a lot of video and photos of the damage this afternoon as the news slowly filters out to those of us who live pretty far away. I cannot imagine seeing that type of damage in downtown Marietta. Most of our older part of downtown dates back to before or shortly after statehood so we have a lot of old buildings whose facades definitely would crumble (and some of the infrastructure might as well).

yeah! We have it really nice over power outages. :D

Felt it very clearly. Near Caddo, OK, just N of Durant.

I was watching one of those paranormal shows--maybe A Haunting--can't remember which one. So it was a little jarring when I felt it. I was truly startled for a few seconds and then realized it was probably an earthquake and called to my son who was preparing to shower and he said, "earthquake". And just at that moment my husband, who was working at Tinker, texted and asked if I felt it. Then, of course, social media immediately blew up. So...I didn't have a ghost, just an earthquake.

Hazel, When the September one hit, I was in the shower. I wasn't sure what I had felt. The instant thought in my head? Wow, I think the floor is moving. I wonder if we have a leak under the tub that has rotted the floor joists and if maybe the tub and I are about to fall from the second floor to the first floor? lol I have no idea why that was my first thought, except that earthquakes are more rare down here than up there, so I guess my mind was doing its best to explain the shaking. Then I looked across the room and could see the toilet sort of swaying from side to side and I calmed down and realized it was an earthquake. I quickly dressed and ran downstairs to the kitchen and asked Tim if he felt the two quakes (I don't remember if it was two, but I felt two separate 'shakings' just a short time apart) and he looked at me like I was an extraterrestial from outer space and asked what I was talking about. So, no, he didn't feel the September quake. He's never felt a quake, even though he has been home when I've felt them except for the Prague one, when he was at work.

I don't even know why I even ask him if he feels them. He never does. He didn't feel the ones happening in Irving, TX, either, even when he was there at work at DFW Airport during the quake. I'd see news about an Irving earthquake (also believed caused by wastewater injection) and text him "Did you feel it?" and he'd either text back "No" or "Feel what?" At least at the airport, he can blame it on the airplane noise, etc. When he's hear at home I don't know why he doesn't notice them. Chris hasn't been home during any quake I've felt here, but he has been at work at the fire station at DFW Airport, and he didn't feel some of them, but did finally feel one at the station one day. That one's epicenter was just a couple of miles away from him, but I think it was only a 2.something or a 3.something.

I always wanted to live in California when I was a kid. I had aunts, uncles and cousins there and, based on one visit there when I was 5 years old, I thought they lived in paradise. Clearly, we never moved to California, but it appears that OK is the new California--we almost have it all---earthquakes, droughts, wildfires, occasional cougars, bears in SE OK and coyotes running amok even in towns....now all we need is an ocean, a beach, and a climate warm enough in winter to grow orange trees in the backyard.

Dawn

Ha ha, Dawn, I went to Florida when I was about 5 and thought it was paradise because I could go barefoot in winter...and they had kittens.

As I understand it, the quakes make upper floors shake more than ground floors. With these last 2 quakes, it was the sound that I noticed most, like a dump truck coming up the street. I sometimes blame rattling on the dogs. During one of the quakes years back I thought there was a dog under the bed scratching and shaking the bed.

Declaring Payne County a disaster area will hopefully help people who have damage. It should have been done sooner.

Yeah, I'm glad about the emergency funds because the people in the Cimarron towers that are homeless are the weak and disabled. Hopefully, Cushing will use that to get them new homes and, maybe, firm up some buildings.


I came here to add that I read some stuff about why the big quakes happen on weekends. Ever wonder how it is the biggest quakes were both on Sunday?

The biggest, a 5.8 in Pawnee was on Saturday morning.
The next, a 5.0, in Cushing was at 7:44pm on Sunday.
The big one 5 years ago, 5.8 in Prague, was on on a Saturday at 10:53pm.
The 5.1 in Fairview 9 months ago was on a Saturday just before noon.

This is not scientific and is speculation and rumor, but it's something to consider. It makes sense.

The rumor is: The pumps (or whatever equipment involved) regulating the pressure are not manned on weekends. There's no one there to slow it down or halt it or whatever.

As a result of the recent quake in Cushing which has been deemed as a national issue with fear over the oil tanks, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission will be shutting down wells or something along that lines.

Amy, Well, we have kittens here in OK too, so we are halfway there. I'm not so sure about going barefoot in winter, though it might work indoors on a warm winter day. Ok, maybe not barefoot, but maybe we could run around the house in socks instead of shoes.

You know, I think I have been upstairs every time we've had a quake that I've felt, and Tim has been downstairs, so maybe that is the explanation. It's better than thinking he is, um, clueless or not paying attention to the world around him or something.

I, too, blamed the shaking of a quake on the dog. I was in bed when the shaking of the Prague earthquake in 2011 started though I wasn't asleep. I was reading. Tim was at work. The bed started shaking and I thought Duke was leaning up against the bed while scratching himself and was inadvertently making the bed move. I said something like "Duke, stop scratching." and he immediately got up and walked towards me from across the room and that's when I realized it wasn't the dog making the bed shake. He wasn't even close to the bed. So I logged on to my computer and went to the USGS "did you feel it?" page and saw that we actually did have a strong earthquake. I no longer blame the dogs.

Bon, That's an interesting theory and it sort of makes sense, doesn't it?

I was glad when I saw they had declared a state of emergency in the county, but now they need to do something positive to capitalize on that like you said. Declaring a state of emergency is, you know, only words. Let's see them back up the words with some sort of action that really makes a difference.

Do you know if the pumps are not checked on weekends? I ask, because the oil companies running wells here still have guys (I believe they are contractors, not direct employees of the oil companies) who come and check everything every morning and sometimes every afternoon, both on Saturday and Sunday, and our wells are pretty piddly little things compared to everything y'all have up there.

I doubt OCC will shut down enough disposal wells. Haven't you noticed? Of course you have. They try to walk a fine line between keeping people/property safe and keeping the oil companies happy. In this case, I think that in order for the action they take to truly go far enough to protect you residents and your property in your area, they'd have to make the oil companies real unhappy. I don't think they want to make the oil companies real unhappy, now, do they? Of course they don't. I'd like to see somebody in this state who is in a position of authority take a firm stand and shut down ALL the disposal wells for 30 days or 60 days to see if it had much effect on the earthquake situation. I don't think we have anyone in this state in the right position of authority with the guts to do it though.

This whole thing is so unfair. Everyone in your county (and, of course, in all OK counties) invested money in property and homes and businesses in the expectation that they could buy insurance to cover most risks, right? Well, no one expected earthquakes one day would be a risk, or that earthquake insurance ever would be needed. Now, even for folks with insurance, it seems like the deductibles are pretty high so people who have damage still have to pay the deductibles out of pocket despite having insurance. Right now we have problems and questions and not enough solutions and answers. It makes me sick to see people having to deal with earthquakes and the damage week in and week out and nothing changes enough to stop it from happening.

It seems so logical to me that if billions of gallons of water are being pumped into disposal wells, all that water is putting pressure on the geological structure underground, and the earth is moving. Why don't we just stop putting that water underground and see if anything changes?

Oh, and this comment is tongue-in-cheek and not an attempt to inject politics into gardening, but there was a big earthquake last night or, rather, this morning, as the election results were tallied. (grin)

Dawn

The OCC stated they are forcing down 54 injection wells directly correlated to the recent quake in Cushing. And that's just a start. They'll shut more in a wider area according to this statement.

They are doing something similar for 22 wells inPawnee. Their quakes have been bigger. I can't imagine!

I would love a period of fasting from injection wells. I mean, we're not asking to cutting drilling. I don't have proof but I think the oil industry has those numbers already. Considering how important algorithms and technologies are, everyone does calcs, first, so they don't waste their time. Surely.

I can become so contorted in thinking of our property destruction from their greed and my desire to stop them versus the livelihoods of those in the oil industry nearby.
Emotional control please!

I read/listen to oil people talk of their lives, their undying loyalty to the oil industry that has fed them for generations and how they'll never stop support and wonder if they realize the industry won't feel the same when they can 'em? Or is it a mafia-type structure? I'll let OCC handle it.
Compromise.

A local kid who gave us a lift in his truck when ours broke down. We were trapped in the cab. His speech began, "My grandaddy was in oil. My daddy was in oil. I'm in oil ... " and so it went. I can still smell his leather boots.

There is a part of America that cannot be totally protectionist because of macro economics no matter how America might try to Trump it. Like going bald. You can't stop the hair loss, but you do get to keep some of it.

(grin)

I theriouthly need to get back to gardening.

It amazes me how only one injection well was believed linked to the earthquakes in Love County a few years ago. Only one. They shut it down and the quakes stopped. So, knowing that, imagine what it is like when there's dozens or even hundreds of injection wells in any given part of the state. How many can they shut down when they do have to walk the fine line between protecting the residents versus allowing the oil companies to operate in a manner that remains economically feasible? How many people whose livelihoods rely upon oil are being affected by the quakes in a personal way, like with damaged homes or other damage to personal property? Are they really willing to put up with continuing damage for the sake of economic prosperity for the region? You know, it is one thing if your home is damaged once by a quake. You repair it and go on, even if it means economic hardship because of the repairs. Okay, I could understand that. But what if the damage happens often? Every year? Every couple of years? Every five years? How much can any given property owner tolerate? I suspect I would have low tolerance for ongoing quakes that caused damage over and over again, even if I worked in the oil industry. Sadly, by the time someone's home has been damaged enough that you give up on the whole situation and want to move away, who's going to buy a home in an earthquake-prone area? It's a terrible Catch-22 situation for everyone affected.

Gardening is great stress relief, so yes, you need some time in the garden, and so does your sweet Little Miss. Of course, depending on what is going on at any given time, gardening also can be stressful too. Still, I'd rather garden than not garden.

In Grove we rarely feel the quakes, but did feel the two that were in the 5 range. The other night, I couldn't sleep and it was almost 3 AM and I thought I felt a small quake. The next day when I looked at the quake map there had been one listed as just a couple of minutes before the time my clock said but it was a 3.3 in Geary OK. That is a long way from me, so that seems impossible. I am just wondering if maybe it triggered a closer one that I couldn't find listed. Maybe it was something else, or in another state, but it sure did feel like a quake to me, although a very light one. None that I have felt in Oklahoma match the ones we felt in Alaska, and also one we felt in Greece.

Carol, they are very strange often showing up in areas seemingly unrelated to the originating epicenter. They can trigger one another, like you suggest? I suppose that's why entering the information on "Did you feel it?" via USGS website is helpful to them. I've had friends from California claim the quakes in Oklahoma feel/act differently.

At least y'all never have had (and presumably never will have) a big one like New Zealand had today!

Yeah. They can't stop theirs. :(

True. I'm not going to be convinced we can stop ours in your part of the state until they actually manage to do it. They stopped ours here easily because the disposal well had only been open a brief time---probably less than a month---so water had not been pumped into it long-term. I wonder if it will be as easy to stop the earth from moving in areas where millions or billions of gallons have been pumped into disposal wells over a long period of time.

Recycling the waste water looks like the next new Ok industry. Article from NBC.

It is about time the rest of the world sat up and noticed what is really going on here. The earthquakes were just a sort of an occasional human-interest story to national media until these last few strong ones. They could kind of joke about or ignore all the 2s and 3s but it is harder to ignore the 5+s. At least now they are paying attention. The more attention the stronger quakes get from outside the state, the more pressure there will be on the powers that be here (where we are owned by the oil and gas industry) to do something real to stop them.

I'm trying to be hopeful, while living in reality. That representative in the article is correct about Oil & Gas owning Oklahoma. My future synopsis is ridiculous.

The best thing for us is to Leave. I'm desperately attempting to learn a trade I can take with me. It's going decent, better than most and looks promising. It still requires time and experience.

If we don't have enough time we can only hope to sue the industry, but everyone else will be suing, too.

The insurance company is in town this week. I considered going to the place, standing in the hallway and suddenly bursting out in mocking laughter.

It's all a big joke any more and I don't think most are getting the punchline.

bon

Bon, I agree that the oil and gas industries own OK (and TX, too, as far as that goes).

I am sorry your options are so limited and so drastic. It is sad when the best option involves abandoning homes, land, businesses, etc. And, as you well know, it is going to be impossible to find buyers who deliberately want to live there amidst the earthquakes.

Good luck with learning the new trade that you can take with you. I cannot imagine how hard it will be to pack up and leave. The good thing is that y'all can take all your memories with you. At least they cannot destroy your memories.

Suing may eventually work. Perhaps the mess and damage continue and either a large class-action lawsuit results or a well-funded buyout program. Either one of those, if it ever occurs, likely won't happen or be resolved soon. There's no good, workable short-term solution and that is the most frustrating thing of all.

It definitely is not a joke. It's getting really real now with all the damage from the 5s, isn't it? The powers that be need to do something sooner rather than later....something with a real, lasting impact. What are they waiting for? A 6? A 6.2? When do the folks in positions of authority get really really serious about a real, permanent solution? I'm beyond thinking that they will do anything meaningful. The whole situation makes me sick.

Dawn

It will take a 6 - maybe a couple of them. I think everyone in the industry and OCC is trying to avoid these, but it is inevitable. I doubt it will be Payne co. I fear it will be Pawnee. :(

A nice strong 5 right downtown in thier wonderful Bricktown would get a lot of fast action. But as long as it's only affecting the little people nothing will be done.

Bon, I agree with you. I didn't pay a lot of attention to the quakes years ago when they were 2s and 3s, but then there started to be some 4s, and then some 5s and then more 5s. The 5s certainly get a person's attention much more than the 3s do. I hope we never have any that reach the magnitudes of 6 or higher, but you know, that 5.8 was a wake-up call that the magnitude of some of the quakes seems to be drifting higher and higher over the years. I hope it doesn't happen to Pawnee or to your area or anywhere, but it seems to feel almost inevitable.

Stockergal, Exactly! Let one quake do moderate damage in someplace like Bricktown and just see what happens next. I believe that quake would awaken the politicians and state employees who ought to be fighting to stop the quakes. I feel like a lot of what they do now is that they do only the bare minimum in terms of shutting down disposal wells. This incremental closing of some wells and slowly cutting back slightly on the volume of water injected into other wells would fly right out the window if a place like Bricktown had building facades collapsing into the streets. Every life matters. Every person's home and other personal property (including the businesses that are their livelihoods) matters, but it doesn't seem that way when the powers that be fail to protect the little people, does it? I am truly appalled at how little the people in Pawnee have received in assistance after the damage from the quakes. I'm not sure if Bon's area will fare much better. Insurance companies spend a lot of time denying claims, after all.

I hate it that the rural areas and smaller towns are not considered as important by the politicians and by the bureacrats paid by our tax dollars, but we all know that it is true. Until a quake hits a well-developed urban area, many people will more or less ignore the quakes and will remain in denial about the danger they pose, including the very people who should be trying to help end them.

Remember the horrible wildfires that swept across our state in 2005-2006 and then again in 2008? The volunteer and professional fire departments were hurting. Financially, it was costing so much more to fight the fires for months than any department had available. We had volunteer firefighters taking money right out of their own pockets just to put gasoline in the gas tanks so they could go fight the fires. Our communities statewide responded with all kinds of fundraisers and donations. Our legislators passed bills to buy each volunteer department at least one new brush truck for fighting fires. (Well, they bought each VFD a new flatbed pickup and the VFDs had to come up with additional tens of thousands of dollars to convert the flatbeds to firetrucks, but at least they had the truck part provided.) This was a major expense for the state and one they hadn't planned for but it was necessary, and just having that one new truck helped each volunteer department a great deal once they could raise the funding to pay for the fire equipment (tanks, pumps, hoses, lights, etc.) to turn a flatbed pickup into a brush fire truck. We also got additional state funding that year to pay our general operating expenses. The rampant wildfires put the firefighters in a financial crisis, and everyone responded. It also seemed like more grants to buy additional equipment were available for a few years. It was a wonderful thing to see. So, my question is, why isn't this state responding to the earthquake crisis in the same way? The only answer I can come up with is that it is because the earthquake crisis is only hitting certain areas, mostly rural and more lightly populated, so the politicians can give it a little lip service and otherwise not do much. The people in the earthquake-affected areas deserve a better response and more help than they're getting.

You are certainly correct.