Friday’s earthquake in Bellmont opened eyes in Illinois and the Midwest.

It also created jokes among roommates and generated phone calls from family members wondering how the earthquake felt.

Apparently, the U.S. Geological Survey isn’t laughing. The agency called the earthquake a “wake-up call to the region.”

During the winter of 1811-1812, three large earthquakes stuck the New Madrid seismic zone, which the agency called the strongest earthquakes ever to strike the lower 48 states.

The New Madrid seismic zone encompasses parts of Illinois, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee.

The earthquakes were felt throughout the country, and hundreds of aftershocks occurred in the following years.

The U.S. Geological Survey is issuing new earthquake assessment maps for the whole country, which are used to update building codes in the region.

There is always the possibility of a larger earthquake striking the area, but earthquakes are a new experience, especially for those of us who have lived in the Midwest our whole lives.

I sleep like a rock.

I have slept through the fire alarm in my apartment building, a large portion of an oak tree falling above my bedroom back home and numerous thunderstorms.

So when I woke up to my bed shaking, I was completely dumbfounded.

I wasn’t sure if my roommate was playing a practical joke on me or if I was just nauseous. It suddenly clicked, though. This was an earthquake.

At that moment, I started laughing.

I remember a few years ago, I was talking to my grandma about earthquakes for some reason and how in two minutes, billions of dollars of damage can happen.

“I have earthquake insurance on the house,” she said.

“But, Grandma, we don’t live in California,” I said. That comment is now going to haunt me. Studying earthquakes in elementary school and middle school, I learned numerous earthquakes happen every day. They just can’t be felt without a seismograph.

However, they never mentioned that a significant one like this could happen in Illinois. In the Midwest, we are used to tornado warnings, flooding around rivers, and severe thunderstorms.

Earthquakes are something new and different. How will something like this come and affect how we look at our lives?

Some may choose to prepare for the next earthquake. They will prepare emergency supplies and learn how to turn their water and gas off just in case of an emergency.

There are those who think Friday was a fluke and life will go on as usual. Then there are people like me who will listen to the advice of my grandma and pay the few additional dollars on earthquake insurance.

I personally don’t believe a severe earthquake will hit the Midwest, but a little precaution is not necessarily a bad thing. The world throws surprises at us every day. As many have said, “Better safe than sorry.”

Matt Hopf is a senior journalism major. He can be reached at 581-7942 or at [email protected].