Mississippi County shaken by a 3.6-magnitude earthquake; no damage or injuries reported

Jeremy Brown, 42, had never experienced an earthquake in his life. That changed at 11:46 a.m. Wednesday. Brown was at his home Wednesday morning in Mississippi County, roughly three miles from the Etowah city limits, when his house shook violently.

Jeremy Brown, 42, had never experienced an earthquake in his life.

That changed at 11:46 a.m. Wednesday.

Brown was at his home Wednesday morning in Mississippi County, roughly three miles from the Etowah city limits, when his house shook violently.

As someone who has lived in the area his whole life, except for eight years spent in the Army, it had a familiar feeling.

"It felt like a bomb going off nearby (more) than anything," Brown, a history teacher at Gosnell School District, said in a text message. "I thought an 18 wheeler struck the house for a second."

A 3.6 magnitude earthquake had just "rocked" Mississippi County, the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management reported. Etowah, a town of roughly 254 people according to its mayor, was the closest community to the epicenter.

Officials with the Mississippi County Sheriff's Office and the Division of Emergency Management said there were no reports of damage or injuries as of 1:10 p.m.

"I talked to the girl in the office at the city hall and, as far as I know, it was centered about three miles northeast of Etowah, but we didn't have any damages," Mayor Charles McCollum said. "We had one a couple years ago in the winter, but it wasn't near as strong as this one."

McCollum had checked with the local water and sewer companies "and everybody seems to be OK right now."

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake had a depth of 11.6 kilometers, or seven miles. It was felt at least as far away as Blytheville, according to comments on social media.

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