‘Elgin, home of the earthquakes:’ Small SC town on edge as leaders look to ease concerns

Elgin resident Tracey Bleckler first thought the earthquake was coming from Fort Jackson, a Columbia-area U.S. Army installation that on any given day can emit a lot of noise.

Bleckler said her family is used to maneuvers and bangs that come with living near a military base, so they didn’t think anything of it.

By the time she looked at Facebook, it was confirmed. The bangs were from an earthquake.

“We’re getting it out faster than the media because we’re in it,” Bleckler said.

Since Elgin’s first reported earthquake on Dec. 27, 2021, the Kershaw County town has experienced 55 earthquakes.

Elgin was hit with another earthquake Wednesday evening, with a magnitude of 3.6. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, this was the largest earthquake recorded in the state in eight years.

“They’ve happened few and far between over the years, but they were very few and far between and they were not to this level,” said Danny Templar, the interim administrator of Kershaw County.

As the consistency and magnitude of the earthquakes increase, Elgin residents say they are getting more concerned.

“You look online, and one person is saying, “Oh, it’s nothing to worry about.’ But another person is saying, ‘It’s something to worry about,’” Kara Johnson, an Elgin resident, said. “For people who have never experienced an earthquake, this is insane.”

According to Kim Stenson, director of the state’s Emergency Management Division, seismologists believe the recent swarm of low-magnitude earthquakes are not indicators of larger earthquakes to come. The quakes are not related to mining or other human activity, Stenson said.

“When an earthquake occurs in a region where there hasn’t been much activity over a long period of time, we can expect similar earthquakes to occur in that general area for the foreseeable future,” said Dr. Steven C. Jaume’, a professor at the College of Charleston’s Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences Department.

Elgin city leaders are, however, taking action just in case.

“We’re putting together, coordinating with Kershaw County and state representatives to schedule a town hall meeting and we’re looking at a tentative date, July 13,” Elgin Mayor Melissa Emmons said. “We’ll have representatives from various entities that will be able to answer some of their questions and listen to their concerns.”

Aimee Thompson, a resident of Elgin, said she hadn’t received communication from local officials about the upcoming town hall. She said she hopes the city will increase communication over the next month.

“I don’t think they’ve addressed it in any way. I don’t even know if the little tiny town council here even has a website or anything,” Thompson said. “Not that they would know what to do if they did.”

The Town of Elgin’s website has not been updated with any recent communication about the earthquakes. However, the town’s Facebook page does include many resources for residents.

‘Elgin, home of the earthquakes’

Emmons said that seismic activity is normal for the area because Elgin sits on a fault line.

As of July 1, no official reasoning behind the earthquake activity has been determined.

“It’s not something we can predict or control, but we can let them (residents) know just how prepared we are in the event that they do get a little bit stronger and they do start causing damage,” Emmons said.

Rhonda Jeffery, who moved to Elgin in December 2021 from California, is used to earthquakes.

But Jeffrey said had she known that Elgin sat on a fault line, she would have reconsidered moving to the Midlands. She’s concerned the earthquakes will get progressively worse.

Jeffery bought earthquake insurance Thursday as a way to prepare. Thompson also bought insurance and suggested that other homeowners in the area look into preparing as well.

“It was not expensive. It cost me $117 for the first year, so that’s a very reasonable amount for peace of mind just in case,” Johnson said.

As chatter has increased on social media, Templar urged residents to be cautious about where they get information.

“Only take information from trusted sources, avoid Facebook, avoid target groups, unless it’s a trusted source from someone you know, like the state or local government or a local emergency preparedness,” Templar said.

While some err in caution, others say they’re looking at the humor in it, like Bleckler.

“My sister said, ‘One positive thing, when we’re at the beach, people say, ‘Hey, where are y’all from?’ We can say, ‘Elgin, home of the earthquakes.” Bleckler laughed. “Nobody knew who we were, but we should be on the map now.”

Mayor Emmons has been praised by residents for taking action, checking on residents, bridges and roads.

In 2020, Kershaw County was the first epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in South Carolina. Emmons said the county handled the pandemic very well, and she intends to treat Elgin’s residents with the same care because of the earthquakes.

“Our priority is making sure that our residents are provided the best protection and the best services possible,” Emmons said.