‘I just braced myself’: 4.1 magnitude earthquake
By Beth Carlson
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WEBSTER COUNTY, Neb. (KETV) — A 4.1 magnitude earthquake struck Cowles, Nebraska, on Sunday afternoon, sending tremors through homes across the metro area nearly 150 miles away, with residents reporting minor disturbances but no damage or injuries.
KETV spoke with resident Leslie Lemke, who lives just miles from the epicenter in Webster County.
“The floor started to shake and then it got louder, and then I had three pictures fall off the wall. And I would say it lasted where I’m at, probably, 10 to 12 seconds. I just braced myself and just stood there and grabbed onto the bathroom counter,” Lemke said.
Residents in the metro area also felt the rumblings.
“It was just back and forth. And then I looked up stuff in my room is just kind of rippling and shaking at that moment. Like what was that?” Lillie, a Papillion resident, said.
“Just kind of heard a little vibration, I thought it was something with the desk or the printer when I was there, but I didn’t realize it was actually an earthquake at the time,” Ken, an Omaha resident, said.
Omaha’s weather leader explained that it’s possible to feel an earthquake of that size several hours away.
“You can feel that maybe up to 150 to 200 miles away. Not to the point where you’re going to have damage. That usually would happen five or greater, especially when you get into the six on the Richter scale. That’s when you can have significant damage, KETV Newswatch 7 Meteorologist Luke Vickery said.
Earthquakes are rare in Nebraska, and a magnitude 4 on the Richter scale often causes only minor damage.
“You try to stay calm, but you’re also like, am I hearing and feeling what I’m feeling and hearing?” Lemke said.
Webster County dispatch confirmed there were no calls made for damage or injuries in the area. The last earthquake above a magnitude 4 in Nebraska also occurred in Webster County in 2023.
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