The central Oklahoma city of Cushing, which dubs itself the “Pipeline Capital of the World,” has one of the world’s largest oil storage terminals. There is great concern that the quake may have damaged key infrastructure.
Sunday night’s earthquake hit at 7:44 p.m. and was centered one mile west of Cushing and 25 miles south of where a magnitude 4.3 quake forced a shutdown of several wells last week, according to Fox News affiliate News9.com.
The trembler shattered windows and brought down the facades of many older buildings in the downtown area of the city. Cushing Assistant City Manager Jeremy Frazier told a news conference late Sunday there were reports of a number of people injured, also noting the worst damage appeared to be contained to the downtown, according to the Associated Press.
Fearing aftershocks, the downtown area was cordoned off to keep gawkers away, and geologists have confirmed that several additional “small quakes” have hit the area. Frasier also said an assisted living center had been evacuated after damage was reported to the building.
“Stay out of the area,” said City Manager Steve Spears. He said it would take a thorough assessment of buildings and other structures in the daylight to determine the real extent of any damage, and the area was not safe yet.
The earthquake was felt as far away as Iowa, Illinois, and Texas. The U.S. Geological Survey initially pegged the quake at 5.3 magnitude but later lowered the reading to 5.0 magnitude, according to Fox News.
