Former Neligh Woman Feels Rare Earthquake In Nebraska

A former Neligh woman felt the effect of a rare earthquake that hit Nebraska on Monday morning. 

Dianna Whitesel, who now lives in Broken Bow, said although it only lasted a couple of seconds, it was scary.

"I was here in the house, and it sounded like an explosion," Whitesel said. "It was really loud."

The U.S. Geological Survey has confirmed an earthquake with a magnitude of 3.5 struck just after 10 a.m. east and northeast of Broken Bow, near Weissert.

It struck at 10:04 a.m. and there are no damage reports, according to the National Weather Service. It was felt in Broken Bow, Weissert, Westerville, Ansley, Berwyn, Comstock, Arnold, and Callaway, along with other surrounding communities.

Mike and Dianna Whitesel own Sargent Irrigation, which has its administrative offices in Broken Bow. Neligh is home to one of its nine locations.

Whitesel told the Antelope County News this morning that her house started shaking, but not enough to knock anything off of the walls. 

Whitesel said the first thing she thought was that her husband, Mike, had driven through the garage door.

"A thousand thoughts go through your mind during something like that," Whitesel said. 

Whitesel said she thought their furnace may have exploded or a major accident had occurred on the highway near their house. But never an earthquake.

"It's just something you don't even think about," Whitesel said. 

She recounted a memory of a small earthquake that hit Neligh when she worked at Neligh-Oakdale Public Schools years ago. Whitesel said she and Dr. Roger Macklem felt a definite vibration through the school.

"We thought the boilers in the basement were going to explode," Whitesel said.