A magnitude 5 earthquake has caught the attention of residents across the Hunter at midday today, Friday August 23.
Geoscience Australia has reported the epicenter to be just south of Muswellbrook, near Edderton Road and at a depth of 10 kilometers.
Local schools were evacuated as a precaution, with St James Primary School requesting that students be collected as they lost power.
Muswellbrook South Public School also put a request on their Facebook page for students to be collected.
Muswellbrook Shire Council have shared that they have received some reports of minor damage as a result of the earthquake and subsequent tremors.
There are power outages in some areas of the Shire, and power is expected to return around 2:30pm.
Parts of Muswellbrook may be without water, including Woodland Ridge and potentially areas of Eastbrook Links. If people are experiencing water outages, please contact Council on 6549 3700.
Council is undertaking an assessment of our essential services and infrastructure.
Muswellbrook Shire Aquatic & Fitness Centre will be closed for the remainder of the day, and Muswellbrook Shire Libraries are open.
Police are the coordinating agency for emergencies, but Council’s Customer Service can be contacted for additional information and to advise of any outages or damage.
Resources;
SES: 132 500
Emergency assistance: 000
Contact your insurance agency if you have experienced damage to your property.
