Candler Earthquake Felt Across Southeast

By Makaylee Randolph Staff Writer mrandolphadvance@gmail.com

Toombs and Montgomery County residents reported hearing a loud noise and feeling the ground shake, as a 3.9 magnitude earthquake rocked Candler County over the weekend.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the epicenter of the earthquake, which shook the region at 4:05 a.m. on Saturday, was located just four miles west of Metter, near Stillmore. No major damages were reported by Candler County Sheriff John Miles.

Many in the local area say they were awakened by the “boom” of the event, and even shared that their houses shook during the phenomenon. Similar experi- continued from page

ences were reported as far as Augusta and Brunswick.

“I was a national champion gymnast and competed for many years, so I have tons of medals on my wall,” one Mount Vernon resident explained. “I woke up Saturday morning to them shaking and clanging against each other, and thought a tree had fallen through the house and was causing it to shake. I would’ve never thought it was an earthquake.”

Another citizen from Toombs County explained that he heard a “rumbling noise” for several seconds before hearing a louder commotion, leading him to believe an event had happened at the nearby Plant Hatch Nuclear Plant.

“I was sleeping on my side, and next thing I knew, I started rolling,” one man from Emanuel County reported. “I was so confused.”

Toombs County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Director Lynn Moore and Montgomery County EMA Director Donnie Daniels also weighed in on the event, as they said many members of the county reported hearing the noise, but few felt the shaking. The Survey discovered that the earthquake was very shallow, occurring only 0.7 miles below the earth’s surface. This also marks the second earthquake within Georgia in two days, as a 2.5 magnitude quake occurred in Harlem, which is around 50 miles north of Metter, on Friday.