Connecticut Feels Ten Quakes in Seven Days

Another earthquake in Eastern Connecticut’s Plainfield

BY KATE BRAMSON

kbramson@providencejournal.com

PLAINFIELD, CT — A small earthquake rumbled through the Moosup Village of Plainfield in Eastern Connecticut around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, the ninth or 10^th such quake within the last seven days.

The phones began ringing at the Plainfield Police Department as residents felt the rumbling, but fewer people were calling the department than in past days, Capt. Mario Arriaga said Wednesday.

The quakes began on Jan. 8 around 9:30 a.m., with a quake that registered a 2.0 magnitude, according to the Weston Observatory at Boston College. The largest thus far was early Monday morning, with a magnitude of 3.1. About 150 to 200 people called the police department then, up from 50 to 75 on Jan. 8, Arriaga said. The police consult that observatory and the U.S. Geological Survey, which are reporting a different number of quakes for this Eastern Connecticut region in recent days.

Wednesday, the police fielded far fewer calls than initial quakes prompted, Arriaga said. Some callers are seeking help and are becoming uneasy, so the police are responding and helping. Initial damage reports have been minimal, although some homes have sustained damage to sheet rock, he said. Some pictures have been knocked down.

What the police are telling people is to be prepared, and that such quakes, although unusual in this region, could go on for a few weeks or a few months, Arriaga siad.

People should be sure to have emergency plans for their families, Arriaga said. If you feel a tremor while driving, pull over to the side of the road and wait until it’s over, staying away from large buildings and overpasses. Stay off the telephone unless it’s an emergency because you don’t want to overwhelm the phone lines and you want to make sure that people with a true emergency can make calls to 911 for help. Know in advance how to shut off your gas, electric and water lines, Arriaga said. And if your home sustains damage, particularly to utility lines, shut off the utilities to prevent further damage.

“Hopefully we’re done, but I said that two days ago,” Arriaga said.