A Month Later
A month after the magnitude 6.0 earthquake, the residents of Wells are still cleaning up. They still feel two or three aftershocks a day. The brick chimneys that laid in shambles after the quake have now be cleared off rooftops and a chain link fences has been erected around Front Street, which was the hardest hit by the earthquake. The Wells Chamber of Commerce has voted to retain a heritage are in the city and has asked those owners on Front Street to inform the council of what they plan to do. Although businesses are reopening, their normal flow of traffic is anything but normal. Officials are inspecting buildings for structural damage and hoards of volunteers are roaming the city picking up bricks and taking down facades. The city is working with the water company to video the underground water system and determine any damage. Other utilities’ and sprinkler systems cannot be checked until the frost melts.
The Wells Elementary School is busy as it has been forced to house kindergarten through 12th grade. The high school suffered massive damage and was forced to be closed. For the past month, the schools have been forced to cram into one school having both high school and elementary classes simultaneously. They don’t seem to mind, for example 2nd grader Marshall Botts, whose second grade class got dispelled into the hallway, says, “I like being in the hallway. It’s fun because we don’t have to sit in desks. I like to sit in chairs.” The big upcoming problem is finding a location for prom and graduation. While the details are still being worked out, they are hoping to make it a memorable event despite the unique situation.
Kobak, M. (2008, March 20). Wells Aftermath, Part 1: One Month Later, Town Still Shaking. Retrieved March 23, 2008, from Elko Daily Free Press: http://www.elkodaily.com/articles/2008/03/20/news/breaking_news/breaking10.txt
Kobak, M. (2008, March 21). Wells Aftermath, Part 2: Back to Grade School. Retrieved March 23, 2008, from Elko Daily Free Press: http://www.elkodaily.com/articles/2008/03/21/news/wells_news/wells7.txt
Very nice blog. Lots of good information, and good explanations of things like the Mercalli Intensity rating scale. I will say that it took me a while to figure out how to get to the rest of your site. After I read the first post I didn’t realize I had to click “The Earthquake” under the categories tab. If you make all of your posts seperate pages, I think it would be a little easier to navigate your blog and get back to your homepage. Thats just nit-picky though, your content is excellent.