From Deseret News archives:

Wells struggles in the aftermath of quake

Published: Friday, Feb. 22, 2008 12:49 p.m. MST
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
WELLS, Nev. — At about 9:30 a.m. Friday the old Wells City Hall, built in 1920, shook yet again, taking the latest temblor in stride, even if workers inside still can't.

"Oh, I hate it when that happens," said Wells City Clerk Sue Smith as she walked through the building. An hour later another one, stronger than the last, rattled the building again. And yet another an hour later.

Friday was being called by first responders as a day for the city's 1,800 residents to recover and assess the damages following Thursday's 6.0 magnitude earthquake here.

Rod Mothershed and Don Ray were parked at the Wells Elementary School with 10,000 gallons of potable water they brought from Elko after federal officials called them with news that 3,000 gallons per minute was leaking from several breaks in main drinking water lines.

But federal Division of Emergency Management spokesman Kim Toulouse said drinking water supplies to residents had been restored and that only four businesses Friday morning on the west side of town remained under a boil order.

Story continues below
Toulouse said two teams of inspectors would be going around town Friday to determine if Wells qualifies for federal emergency relief funds. Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons Thursday gave Wells a state disaster area designation, which Toulouse said should help speed up the process of getting to a potential federal designation.

"We're doing a real quick assessment," he told reporters. A preliminary damage assessment was expected by Friday afternoon.

It cold take up to 48 hours to get the needed damage information to the state's governor, who then forwards a report that eventually could reach President George Bush for his approval to release federal monies. Toulouse said there may be public and individual federal assistance available, along with federal grants of up to $28,000 to help people recover and repair.

As for personal property losses inside homes, which was widespread in Wells, people are on their own.

California-based AAA Insurance catastrophe supervisor Neal Bonrud set up a desk Friday inside Wells Elementary School to help a few AAA clients in Wells and to answer questions of others. Most people in general, he said, don't have extra earthquake insurance, which without it homeowners would be on their own to cover repairs to any structural damages.

Recent comments

Of the previous four comments, how about a little more sympathy and a...

Come on. . . | Feb. 22, 2008 at 4:32 p.m.

I'm just waiting for Al Gore to claim the quake was caused by global...

veedub | Feb. 22, 2008 at 1:57 p.m.

I have a brick house, that doesn't have a wood frame behind it. I...

I wish | Feb. 22, 2008 at 1:10 p.m.

previousnext

Latest comments

watch out for next year for sure, the negatives are just closet (and...

And something else, I generally follow players from the state schools when...

I could care less that Max Hall said what he did. The feeling is mutual BYU...

BYU is champion of the state

Dear Max, probably could have done without that comment. Probably would've...

Hall mouths off about hate of Utah

As a Utah fan, let me first say congratulations to Max Hall, the Cougars, and...

Geno's and Pat's are good.. but, they are mostly for tourists, the real...

Hall mouths off about hate of Utah

(You even got a middle initial... how's that for 'ya Max) It's nice to see...

Air Up There, The

Even today, I still cannot get enough of this movie or Charles Gitonga Maina....

Cougars beat Utes in overtime

...disappointed with Max Hall's comments that he hates everything about UofU....

Over the last few days I read comments of people complaining about tasteless...

Advertisements