Oklahoma Earthquake Today: Okla. Hit With 2 Big Quakes After Several Minor Ones (VIDEO)
ESPN Announcer Kirk Kerbstreit Shaken Live on TV During Oklahoma State Vs. Kansas State Football Game
Oklahoma was hit with two major earthquakes Saturday after several smaller earthquakes had been rocking the region and rattling residents all day. The quake also shook up a college football game, with a reporter reacting from the press box during a live broadcast.
According to the United States Geological Survey, the second earthquake to strike Oklahoma occurred at 10:53 p.m. and registered at magnitude 5.6, centered in Prague. The first earthquake hit earlier in the afternoon, at 2:12 p.m., and registered at 4.7 in intensity and was centered in Sparks. Both epicenters are between 44 and 46 miles from Oklahoma City.
Although residents were startled, neither temblor caused caused any injuries, according to local officials.
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Justin Reese, manager of the Boomarang Diner in nearby Chandler, Okla., told The New York Times that the shaking Saturday night lasted for less than two minutes.
"It was scary," Reese said, telling the Times that Oklahomans "were not used to something like that."
The publication reported that neither the police department nor the fire department in Chandler reported any earthquake-related emergencies.
The Lincoln County Sheriff's Department reported that boulders had broken free in the county, and were reportedly about "the size of cars."
The earthquake, reportedly one of the strongest in Oklahoma's history, shook up a college football game. The quake also shook buildings, causing cracks in some buildings in Lincoln County, Fox News reported.
"Very significant damages are being reported in southern Lincoln County," the Lincoln County Emergency Management department announced on its Facebook page, Fox News noted.
If the initial reading of 5.6 magnitude is not downgraded by the USGS, the Saturday night earthquake would be Oklahoma's strongest on record, according to the AP. Previously, a magnitude-5.5 earthquake hit El Reno in 1952 and another of about that strength struck in northeastern Indian Territory in 1882, AP reports, citing USGS records.
The stadium at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater was rocked after the school's football game with Kansas State. Not only did players in the locker room feel the quake, but reporters in the press box felt the earth rocking as well.
ESPN reporter Kirk Herbstreit was one reporter in the press box who as actually live on camera when the quake occurred. His expression conveyed a brief moment of panic as he felt the earth sway.
Here is a clip of Saturday night's game between the Cowboys and the Wildcats (Oklahoma beat Kansas 52-45):
