Residents across Louisiana spent much of Thursday attempting to determine where today’s earthquake should be placed within the state’s already crowded disaster rotation.
The magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck early Thursday around 5:30 a.m., roughly 50 miles outside Shreveport in northwestern Louisiana, shaking homes, rattling pipes, and briefly convincing several residents their washing machines had become unusually aggressive.
Officials confirmed the earthquake was the strongest recorded on land in the region in at least two decades. Reports of shaking were received from across north Louisiana as well as parts of eastern Texas and southwestern Arkansas, prompting confusion among residents who had long assumed earthquakes were someone else’s problem.
“It woke me up and everything,” said one resident. “At first I thought it was a train, then maybe a large truck, then maybe that damned neighbor with the motorcycle again. I never thought earthquake.”
The U.S. Geological Survey initially listed the quake as a 4.4 before upgrading it to a 4.9 after several calls from Gov. Jeff Landry insisting the state deserved a higher ranking and asking whether the number could be rounded up.
Meanwhile, despite some speculation, local media outlets say there is no indication actor Shia LaBeouf had anything to do with the earthquake.
Officials reported no structural damage but acknowledged the event has created new logistical questions for emergency planners.
“We’ve got hurricanes, flooding, extreme heat, boil water advisories, and the occasional mysterious industrial fire,” said Louisiana Office of Emergency Coordination assistant vice director Jay Aubrey while reviewing the situation Thursday morning. “Nobody mentioned earthquakes.”
State agencies say they are still evaluating whether earthquakes will become a recurring part of Louisiana’s disaster rotation or remain a limited-time feature.