CORONAVIRUS
4.2-Magnitude Aftershock Caught On Video During Teacher’s Math Lesson
MAGNA, Utah – A teacher at Hunter Junior High School was in the middle of a class lesson when a 4.2 magnitude aftershock struck. Her reaction and the shaking at her home were caught on video.
Teacher Jennifer Jones was recording her distance learning plan from her Magna home Thursday morning when the quaking happened.
“That was an earthquake, a really big earthquake, Wow!” Jones exclaimed in the video.
She said she was in disbelief as the video show her Magna home rattling.
“I knew what I’m supposed to do. I’m supposed to get under the table, but it happened so fast,” she said.
The quake happened on the annual Great Utah ShakeOut, an annual event in the Beehive State when schools and businesses hold drills to prepare for such an incident.
“We hope what that will do is help remind Utahns to remember that when we do have even a moderate earthquake we will continue to have aftershocks that go for many weeks,” said Joe Dougherty from the Utah Division of Emergency Management.
He said earthquakes are part of life in Utah. Thursday’s aftershock was the second in two days, after another 4.2-magnitude quake hit on Tuesday.
Both aftershocks were among over 1,200 others, since a magnitude 5.7 earthquake hit on March 18 near Magna.
“It’s just one more reminder that Utah is earthquake country – that we live in a place where the earth shakes, and we all have an opportunity to do something about it, because today is the Great Utah ShakeOut. It’s our annual earthquake drill,” Dougherty said.
Jones said the aftershock didn’t stop distance learning from continuing.
“I had a math class, so I had to get on for my math students,” she said.
You can learn how to make an earthquake plan and drill at shakeout.org/utah/.