Dozens of earthquakes have rumbled out from an area west of Fort Worth over the past week. The source of the quakes is near the city of Snyder, the seat of Scurry County and home to a little over 11,000 people.
A seismologist for the U.S. Geological Survey told the Dallas Morning News that the tremors are likely related to human activities; some of the oil and gas industry’s operations in the area have been linked with earthquakes in the past. The Railroad Commission of Texas, which regulates oil and gas, sent inspectors to the area on Monday.
Jay Callaway, emergency management coordinator for the city of Snyder and Scurry County, spoke to the Texas Standard about the series of quakes.
This transcript has been edited lightly for clarity:
Texas Standard: As of last Friday, Scurry County had seen 61 earthquakes in a week. What’s it like to live there right now?
Jay Callaway: Things are going normal operation for most people. People are on edge a little bit as to what is going to come next. As of this morning, we’re up to 91 earthquakes in the last seven days, the largest being a 5.1 on Friday, is what I’m being told. That is the fifth strongest earthquake in the state of Texas so far.
Goodness. Well, can you give us some examples of the property damage these earthquakes have been causing?
It varies all over. What we’re seeing the most is cracks in the walls and the ceilings. We have had one water line breakage in Snyder from it, happened Monday night, the 22nd, from the first earthquake. Luckily, our city utility crews was able to get that water repaired and get folks back in water.
Separation of the brick around windows and doorframes. There are a few foundation cracks, multiple areas. And it’s varying in significance.
I mentioned the county issued a disaster declaration because of these earthquakes. What does that mean for any potential repairs going forward?
We issued the declaration of disaster to take the necessary steps to ensure the safety and well-being of all of our community members, and to be able to mobilize resources, if needed, from the state to help in case the events kept getting worse.
Just like with any natural disaster, I mean, you can’t predict the future. But this issuing the declaration, it is not saying, “hey, we’ve got another big one coming.” We issued the declaration to be proactive. It just opens up the door for resources.
