Earthquake rocks Utah, closes airport

The Salt Lake City International Airport was evacuated and closed down immediately following the quake. All planes flying into the airport were diverted, and there is currently no timeline for when the airport will be reopened.

Residents in the neighboring states of Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho, and Nevada reported feeling the effects of the quake. According to the Weather Channel, it is estimated that 2.8 million people felt the shaking, and aftershocks are expected to last throughout the day.

Damages have been reported by residents within a 100-mile radius.

Dave Nuriega, radio host in Salt Lake City, tweeted, “Just felt the first earthquake of my life. That was crazy.”

Utah Emergency Management spokesman Joe Dougherty urged residents to check in with their neighbors, but this suggestion flies in the face of the national recommendation to exercise social distancing due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Despite the seriousness of the earthquake in Utah, its coverage has paled in comparison to the amount of coverage the coronavirus has received. This speaks to the seriousness of the contagion, and how it has overtaken any and all local tragedies such as this one. The virus has not taken away the difficulties local communities experience on a daily basis—it has only compounded them.