Aftershock Damages Dozens of Okla. Homes, Closes Schools

The strongest aftershock yet to hit in the wake of last weekend’s earthquake in central Oklahoma damaged dozens of homes, closed some schools and caused at least one minor injury, emergency officials said Tuesday.

The 4.7 magnitude aftershock recorded late Monday near Prague was felt as far away as Kansas City, Mo., and Little Rock, Ark., according to reports submitted to the U.S. Geological Survey.

In hard-hit Lincoln County, a 9-year-old girl suffered minor injuries when a piece of furniture fell onto her, said Joey Wakefield, the county’s emergency management director. The aftershock also damaged the roof and ceiling at the city building and schools in the town of Meeker, Wakefield said. Classes were canceled Tuesday.

“There’s been additional damage to the homes already damaged by the first earthquake,” said Wakefield, whose agency reported damage to more than 90 homes Tuesday afternoon.

Keli Cain, a spokeswoman with the state Department of Emergency Management, said her agency continued to investigate reports of damage mainly across Lincoln, Pottawatomie, Creek and Okfuskee counties.

State officials said it could take several more days to compile a total damage estimate.

USGS geophysicist Jessica Sigala Turner said aftershocks are common and may continue for months following a quake with Saturday’s magnitude.

“We don’t know for how long it’ll continue, but aftershocks are pretty common with an earthquake like that, especially a shallow one like that,” she said.

The weekend quake could be felt throughout the state and in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, northern Texas and some parts of Illinois and Wisconsin.

(Associated Press writer Ken Miller contributed to this report from Oklahoma City.)