Earthquake in Putnam County measured 3.6, felt across Illinois Valley, stirring reactions

La Salle Police Chief Mike Smudzinski said he was jolted awake early Wednesday by a tremor that made him jump out of his bed.

“I thought a car hit the house,” Smudzinski said.

It was no vehicle strike and it wasn’t limited to La Salle. The Illinois Valley was visited with a 3.6 magnitude earthquake reported at 4:41 a.m. near Standard in Putnam County, about 2.2 miles from Granville. That’s according to Earth Quake Track, a website that monitors seismic activity across the globe.

Dispatch received tons of 911 calls from all over. The calls were coming in at a rate that they rolled over to other centers such as Ottawa.”

—  Doug Bernabei, Peru Police lieutenant

Within hours of the tremor, the La Salle County Emergency Management Agency cautiously reported no injuries or structural damage.

“So far I’ve got absolutely nothing,” said Fred Moore, director of La Salle County EMA. Moore did, however, appeal to La Salle County residents to download the county’s EMA app, an all-in-one emergency resource, to their smart phones.

[ Here's why Putnam County had a 3.6 magnitude earthquake ]

[ Putnam County 4th graders use earthquake as learning tool ]

Moore’s assessment proved durable. None of the counties or municipalities in the Shaw Media circulation area reported any earthquake-related damage or injury.

Nevertheless, social media moved as violently as the ground. Reports suggested the tremor was felt from LaMoille and Triumph to Henry and rural Streator and all points in between. Many residents said they were awakened by the tremor and initially suspected their homes were struck by fallen trees or runaway vehicles.

“Here in La Salle, it was like a dump truck hit us,” Von Simpson said.

Illinois Valley Regional Dispatch was flooded with calls from alarmed residents wondering what happened.

“It’s widespread across the whole area,” Peru Police Department spokesman Lt. Doug Bernabei said. “Dispatch received tons of 911 calls from all over. The calls were coming in at a rate that they rolled over to other centers such as Ottawa.”

Dogs are attuned to seismic activity, and the canine pen at Illinois Valley Animal Rescue in La Salle appears to have known it was coming. Chris Tomsha, IVAR executive director, said she reviewed security footage and the time stamp showed her rescue dogs indeed knew a quake was imminent.

“I have goosebumps,” Tomsha said. “At 4:41 a.m. they were all howling – then about five seconds of dead silence – and then at 4:42 a.m., barking and howling.”

The Illinois Valley has been hit with earthquakes before, with two previous quakes recorded during the 21st century. An earthquake in southern Illinois measured at 5.2 was recorded April 2008 – at roughly the same hour as Wednesday’s – and a slightly weaker quake, 4.5, was recorded near Troy Grove in June of 2004.

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A farmer tills a field where the epicenter of a 3.6 earthquake occurred on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, about a mile and a half south of Standard near the intersection of County Road 955 North and County Road 1500 E in Putnam County. No damage was reported from the earthquake. The earthquake occurred at 4:41 a.m. (Scott Anderson)