Apr 18, 2008 8:08 am US/Central
Viewer Comments On Illinois Earthquake - Part 2
We asked you to tell us where you were and what you felt when the earthquake hit. Here are your responses.
Send Us Your CommentsWas on the couch this morning ..felt the couch shake and heard the dishes rattle..thought it was a tornado. --Andrew Luck
I was woken up by the earthquake, located in Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL which is about 100 miles from the epicenter. I was in bed in time and really didn't know what to do since I had never felt an earthquake before. I was on the 4th floor of a dormitory, walked out of my room afterwards thinking I was going crazy but others had felt it also. --Luis Mandujano
I was at work at a local hospital when the eartquake hit. I had this nauseous feeling for a moment right before my chair started to move. I knew what is was, so immediately got into the doorway. It was unusual for this area of the counrty, but I have experienced them often in Alaska and Washington. --Robert
I am in Aurora Chicago and I felt the earthquake, things on the kichen table shook, the chairs on the balcony shook & moved alittle bit, the couch felt like it was moving across the floor. --Melissa Nix
Dearborn, MI: My bed started shaking like crazy and doors started rattling, I have model aircraft hanging on my ceiling and they were swaying. Sometimes slow moving trains cause a similar reaction but I didn't hear a train, and actually thought I must be imagining it, as tremors are not typical in Michigan, and I was half asleep anyhow. My dog, who is spooked by thunder and winds, refused to go outside an hour or so later, I had to kick him out the door. Then I heard on the radio about the quake.
--Doug
The alarm clock had already went off and I was in bed debating whether I can squeeze in another 15 minutes or not, and when got out of the bed the floor started shaking and I looked over to my computer and I saw the stand shaking. I thought there was someone on the roof or a truck was going by. I didn't realize it was an earthquake until I heard it on the news 15 minutes later. --Kandace Muhammad
At about 4:35 this morning I was laying in bed on the 8th floor of a high-rise apartment building in the Lincoln Park neighborhood in Chicago. It was the most eerie feeling... as if some stranger had entered my room and began gently rocking my bed left to right, silently, for about 15-20 seconds. I heard my blinds tap on the window ever so gently, and something down on the street below fell closed, like the lid of a dumpster or something... After I sat up in bed for a minute and tried to figure out what the heck just happened, I ran to the computer and entered my report on the USGS website. 15 other reports like it had just come in and over the course of the hour afterward that number had jumped to over 6000. I then started to watch the trickle of news, 1 paragraph enrties on local network pages, become a torrent of AP reports, blogs, call-ins and pictures of Olney, IL. What a strange experience to have in Illinois, in Chicago no less. It was haunting and beautiful and I hope nobody is hurt. In the speculation category I wonder if Mount Carmel is doing okay. --Daniel Rucci
I was working on my computer at home (South Bend, IN) and felt the entire desk shaking slightly. The stand-up lamp in my office also rattled. I asked my wife, who was in the dining room if we were having an earthquake. She didn't feel it and thought I was crazy until she turned on the local news. --Ralph Stutzman
oke up because the glass door in our shower was rattling like crazy and then the lamp chains started swinging back and forth clanging into the lamp. I then felt the bed moving back and forth and saw that my dog had gotten up and was pacing around. Then it was over. I live in Downers Grove, Illinois. --Sasha Pravdic
I have a question...What type of damage do they look for after a quake under the earths surface, does it effect gas lines and or bridges? What are the chances we will have another one after the one this morning? I am realy interested in what happens under the surface if it felt this far north such as Naperville area. Thank you --Kathy
My husband had just gotten up for work and so I was a bit awake. I was in bed with our daughter and thought she was 'kicking' her feet, the bed was swaying back and forth, but she was sound asleep. I felt it briefly a moment after with the bed swaying again. --Carrie
I was awaken this morning with my bed shaking. I also heard the corner wall make a noise. The shaking lasted for a while. I was on the upper floor. No one on the lower level felt anything. I live in Maywood, IL --Arlene Shelly
I live in Naperville. We felt that the bed was shaking and I ran downstairs to see what's happening. It was scary. --Shiva
I thought my husband was scratching his leg & making the bed shake. I told him to knock it off. He said he wasn't doing anything & thought it was me! --Lynn Nohos
I felt the tremor and it woke me up from a dead sleep. I am in Geneva, IL and it was strong enough that it set a few car alarms off in my neighborhood, including mine. It also was strong enough to move several light items on my desk and make them clank which is what made me wake up up quick enough with my heart pounding to realize what was going on. I felt it for about 20 seconds. I do remember the last one that happened several years back that was a result of an earthquake near Ottawa. --Rob Cannon
Awake in bed. I heard a tap, tap, tapping. I thought it was a woodpecker. But when I got up, I found the bedroom door rattling. --Keith Dubas
I was laying awake in bed. The bed began to rock from North to South quite violently. At first I thought it was some sort of supernatural malevolent being making his presence known. Then some pictures shook, the mirror above the bed began to creak, and I feared it would fall on me. I then heard the rafters in the attic creaking and some small furniture was making noise. It lasted about 10 seconds. It was definitely more powerful than the one I felt in the mid-80's. --Eric Hoffmann
I woke up between 4:30 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. and I could feel by bed shaking not a real lot but like it was vibrating. It was weird. But it did cross my mind that maybe it could be an earthquake but I thought no I must be dreaming. Wow, it was really weird know to see we did really have one. --Kathy S.
I was at my home in Northwest Indiana. Hobart, Indiana to be specific. My friend and I were in the kitchen talking and we felt absolutely nothing. It wasn't until hearing it on the radio that we even knew it happened. --Cody Hauber
I was at work in Highland Park. It was a shudder that I felt going trough my body and the monitors in front of me were a briefly blurred. At first I thought it was me, just a strange nerve spasm, until the radio station I was listening to (WGN) mentioned all the calls they were receiving. --Walt Kowalczyk
At home in Prospect Heights, just south of Chicago Executive Airport, on the 3rd floor of 5, facing CEA. With all the increased activity at the airport, I thought a bigger jet than usual was coming in from the south! --Chris Grier
I had awoken at 4:25a sweating, got up to go to the bathroom and at first it sounded like a huge wind had picked up, the windows were shaking, then, the building starting rattling, then shaking, the floor under my feet was moving, I immediately looked at my watch at it said 4:31p - I live at Foster and Austin in the city and was born in Chicago. I have never felt that kind of tremor in my life. I feel for those who experience this fear regularly. --Kathryn Kern
I live in Chesterton, IN and was sleeping in my bed when I felt the bed begin to shake. I first thought someone was in my house trying to wake me up. Then I got up looking around and noticing no one was around, I then thought I was loosing my mind. I looked thru my house and noticed no damage. I was wondering, I know people have been calling in this morning with their stories but does anyone know if could possibly happen again? --Sue Parks
I was sleepimg and felt the earthquake. I knew whay it was as I have been in a couple. Reminds me of the one we had about 20 years ago whem a small tremor passed through. --Dale
My alarm goes off at 5:00 am every morning and around 4:30 this morning I woke up and felt my bed shaking. It was the strangest thing. Then I start watching the news and I hear there was an earthquake in Indiana and I hear people calling in from the Chicago area who felt it. I am sure that is what woke me up this morning. All the way in Wheeling, IL. --Jini Hubbell
I live in Chicago, in West Rogers Park. I was asleep and I woke with my bed swaying. I sat up in the dark while the swaying shifted to shaking and trembling. Things were rattling on the floor and the walls. I immediately thought it was an earthquake but then I thought, no way, it must be a storm, this is Chicago. Just as I thought it was letting up, there was additional light swaying. I am still very nervous about aftershocks. I called 311 at 4:44AM. Both of my daughters are asleep and I am considering keeping everyone home today. --Dianna Rodriguez
I was sitting in a chair around 4:30 AM in my house in Skokie when I felt the house begin to rock back and forth rythmically for atleast 15 seconds. I listened for a truck and didn't hear any. I thought "This may be an earthquake." Nothing fell down inside th house. I don't think there was damage. But this event was the strongest movement of the house in years. --Joel Kreger
I live in the Rogers Park area and at the time I was home sitting up in bed and studying when I felt my bed shake at 4:40 am. It lasted less than 5 seconds and I felt my bed and laptop tremor. It felt quite odd and I started to wonder what was causing the tremors. This is rare for Chicago, however, I remember a slight tremor a few years back that occurred around 1 am. --Nimol
I woke up to my change sorter (QUARTERS,DIMES...)on the dresser rattling --Debbie Bradley
I was asleep and felt the bed moving. It was actually two short tremors. I got out of bed and looked outside, thought it might have been high winds, but everything was calm. Turned on news at about 5 and heard all the reports coming in. I live in Lisle. --Lucille Woods
I live in Georgetown, Kentucky. And I was up , and felt shaking, and had the TV on Ohio and flipping to WLEX-TV news, they were talking to a news person who lives here in Georgetown, Kentucky said yes it was felt all the way here. I pray and hope everyone is all right there. --Sincerely, Dee-Dee
I was asleep in bed in Peru IL, La Salle County --Sheila Schloeder
I work night-shift (in Waukegan, IL) and was working quietly (alone) at my desk. All of a sudden I felt like somebody was in the room with me. My chair started to shake and I thought somebody was messing with me. I got up to check under and behind my chair to see if somebody was hiding there playing a joke on me. About an hour later, a co-worker came in and told me about an earthquake in downstate IL. That was when I knew that I had actually felt tremors! The tremors lasted less than a minute total. --LaRee
Continue To Part 3
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