This morning's earthquake in Salt Lake County and some of the aftershocks were felt in Wasatch County. However, Wasatch County Emergency Management reports no injuries, structural damage, or damage to power or communication were reported in the county as a result of the earthquake.
Heber City Mayor Kellen Potter was in Heber City hall, originally a tabernacle built in the 1880’s, when the earthquake struck Wednesday morning.
“We were filming a video with the mayor of Midway and the superintendent and the health department director, and the county council chair," Potter continued. "All of a sudden, I started feeling the building shake and I thought this might be a house of cards in a bad earthquake. But our police report that they have not heard anything, we have no damage or any problems from the earthquake that we are aware of.”
If anyone does have structural damage in Heber to call city offices or police who can assist. Wasatch County Emergency Management reports that aftershocks could continue for as long as 24 hours afterwards. More info on earthquakes and emergency preparedness can be found here and here.
Mayor Potter said the community is doing its best to retain a sense of normalcy while the community deals with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are taking all of the precautions that have been recommended by our federal and state leaders," Potter explained. "Actively trying to reach out to the vulnerable citizens. Schools are doing a great job of still providing school lunches. We’re just trying to keep life as normal as possible in Heber right now.”
There are two cases of COVID-19 In Wasatch County. In response to a Wasatch High School student testing positive for COVID-19 all Wasatch High students and staff are under quarantine until Thursday March 26, meaning they should not leave their homes except for medical emergencies. Potter says she’s observed teens in the community dealing with the situation with a positive attitude.
“They’re using a lot of social media and trying to get creative, but they have online school," Potter said. "I know it's difficult, but I think since it’s novel and we're still in the first few days everyone seems to be handling it with good spirits.”
Utah Governor Gary Herbert issued an order Tuesday evening limiting gatherings to no more than 10 people. The order also stated that eateries must close their dine-in facilities by midnight on Wednesday. Those businesses can serve pick-up, drive through and delivery options. Potter says many businesses in Heber had already started implemented these practices on their own.
Potter says the city is prepared for coming challenges.
“We've had many many meetings and we continue to talk about what could happen in contingency plans," Potter continued. "We had a council meeting last night and looked forward at our budget and decided to slow down spending right now, and make sure that we're prepared. I mean, I guess we never know what it will look like but I believe that it won't be so severe that we won't be able to handle what happens in the coming weeks and months.”
That’s Heber City Mayor Kellen Potter. Wasatch County Council will continue to hold daily updates at 5:00 pm each evening for the rest of the week.
