Earthquake shakes Nevada, Utah and Idaho

Just before 5 p.m. Utah time, a 4.6 magnitude aftershock hit Wells, sending people running for doorways and ducking under tables.

The aftershocks continued all day today in the wake of a 6.0 earthquake that rocked the city at 7:16 a.m. and shook a large portion of the Mountain West. It was centered 11 miles east of Wells near the Utah-Nevada border, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The USGS initially measured the quake at a 6.3, but later downgraded it slightly to a 6.0.

There were confirmed reports of at least three people who were injured and at least 30 buildings with significant damage.

Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons toured the area and by late afternoon had declared it a "disaster" after meeting with residents still reeling from the devastation.

"Nevada cares about the people of Wells," he said.

State Division of Emergency Management spokesman Daniel Burns termed it a "challenging situation" and said there were reports of three water main breaks and gas line fires. The city, however, still had electricity and phone service.

The Wells Elementary School by 5 p.m. had become a nerve center for emergency assistance being carried out by multiple agencies.

Inside the school, Rick Sharp was overseeing a supply-line made up of 16 inmates from the minimum-security Wells Conservation Camp east of Wells.

The inmates, who are at the camp from six months to three years, represent the camp's cooking unit and were about to prepare a meal at the school that evening.

Just down the road, a structural engineer was surveying the high school and was finding several damaged areas. The gymnasium, which was supposed to be a shelter in an emergency, is being condemned.

Wells utility clerk Sherry Justus said that 200 calls had come into city hall by 4 p.m., most of them from people offering their services or supplies. The biggest concern among some of the callers centered around the water supply, but Justus said the water should be fine to drink.

Peg Kaplan was asleep at the El Rancho Hotel when the quake hit.

"It was loud, rumbling, sounded like a train coming through," said Kaplan, who owns the hotel. "It just seemed to go on forever."

Kaplan was allowed back into the building this afternoon, where she tried to coax three of her cats out from a hiding place. They refused to budge.

The building has been declared uninhabitable.

"I don't know if we'll ever recover," she said.

Around town, crews have spray-painted in the snow with fluorescent orange paint. A circle means the building is safe. An "X" means the building is uninhabitable, and a question mark indicates that officials don't know.

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