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 that the tremors are likely related to human activities; some of the oil and gas industry鈥檚 operations in the area have been linked with earthquakes in the past. The Railroad Commission of Texas, which regulates oil and gas, .
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鈥檚 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鈥檙e up to 91 earthquakes in the last seven days, the largest being a 5.1 on Friday, is what I鈥檓 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鈥檙e 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鈥檚 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鈥檛 predict the future. But this issuing the declaration, it is not saying, 鈥渉ey, we鈥檝e got another big one coming.鈥� We issued the declaration to be proactive. It just opens up the door for resources.
I鈥檓 thinking people are probably making lifestyle changes 鈥� you know, the those nice knickknacks on the shelf or something like that. I mean, are people making changes like that? Have you done that as well?
I personally have not made any changes, and I鈥檝e not heard of anybody else making changes. I鈥檓 sure there鈥檚 people making sure valuable dishes and stuff aren鈥檛 sitting on the edge.
Has the city or county started enforcing any kind of building standards when it comes to withstanding earthquakes, or has that not come up yet?
We鈥檙e still following the standard building code that the city and county has an ordinance for, for buildings here.
I mentioned the Railroad Commission of Texas, the state鈥檚 oil and gas regulator. Inspectors there recently arrived in Scurry County to help determine what鈥檚 causing these tremors. Have you heard anything from them just yet?
No, ma鈥檃m, I have not. The only thing I do know is that they鈥檙e looking into it on their end.
Anything else you鈥檇 like the rest of Texas to know about what you guys are going through, or maybe what you need?
If anybody in the Scurry County area has any damage, please follow the and report those damages through the that is posted there on the page. We鈥檙e starting documentation on all of this for the state.
If you found the reporting above valuable, please consider making a donation to support it . Your gift helps pay for everything you find on and . Thanks for donating today.