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Hundreds of quake homes damaged Hundreds of quake homes damaged
(40 minutes later)
Hundreds of houses in Folkestone have been damaged by the earthquake which struck Kent on Saturday morning. Hundreds of houses in Folkestone have been damaged by the earthquake which struck parts of Kent.
Council officials say 73 buildings have been rated so dangerous that people cannot currently return to them. Council officials say 73 buildings are so dangerous residents cannot return to them because of loose chimney stacks, tiles and masonry.
A further 64 are in a condition where people can be in their properties but work will need to be done on them within the next 48 hours. They have received 474 calls from people worried about the impact of the 4.3 magnitude tremor on their homes.
The council has received 474 calls regarding properties damaged by the 4.3 magnitude tremor. The quake which struck on Saturday morning was the largest to hit Britain since one in the West Midlands in 2002.
Council surveyors are continuing to examine properties following the earthquake, after inspection teams began work at 0930 BST on Sunday. It struck at around 0819 BST but resulted in only one person, a 30-year-old woman, suffering minor head injuries.
Shepway District Council said it was being assisted in its inspections by officers from neighbouring councils. Most residents forced from their homes sought refuge with families and friends, but a small number had to be housed in emergency accommodation.
Homes in Folkestone were evacuated and one woman suffered a neck injury when the earthquake struck.
As a result of the damage caused, several families spent the night in emergency accommodation.
DAMAGED PROPERTIES 474 properties reported damaged by earthquake73 so dangerous that people cannot return 30 more where people have been advised not to return64 can be returned to but work must be done within 48 hoursDAMAGED PROPERTIES 474 properties reported damaged by earthquake73 so dangerous that people cannot return 30 more where people have been advised not to return64 can be returned to but work must be done within 48 hours
Shepway District Council said two large families and several other families were being accommodated last night at the authority's emergency centre. 'No serious injuries'
More than a dozen people spent the night at Folkestone's Salvation Army centre. Folkestone and Hythe Conservative MP Michael Howard, who visited the Salvation Army rest centre where 10 people stayed overnight, said he was grateful that the community escaped relatively unscathed.
Capt West said that when the earthquake had first happened, the people arriving at the Salvation Army centre in Folkestone had looked "quite shaken, confused, anxious". "I think we have got off remarkably lightly. Obviously there is a fair amount of damage, a lot of chimney stacks down and it is tough on all those people who weren't able to spend the night at home.
He said: "The ones we've got here now are the ones who can't be allowed back in their homes, maybe their homes are too badly damaged and are thinking maybe they'll never be able to go back to them." "But when you consider there were no serious injuries and no real devastating damage to property, I think we have got off remarkably lightly."
Council spokesman Jeff Stack said it would take days just for the initial analysis of homes to be carried out. Teams of structural engineers and surveyors are assessing damaged buildings and co-operating closely with fire crews to make dangerous properties safe.
Following the earthquake, homes in five streets in the town were evacuated because of structural damage including cracked walls and fallen chimneys. Shepway District Council spokesman Jeff Stack said it would take days for the initial analysis of homes to be carried out.
The tremor struck at 0819 BST and experts said its epicentre was 7.5 miles off the Dover coast in the English Channel.
QUAKES IN THE UK December 2006 - Dumfries and Galloway (magnitude 3.5)September 2002 - Dudley, West Midlands (5.0)October 2001 - Melton Mowbray (4.1)September 2000 - Warwick (4.2) April 1990 - Bishop's Castle, Shropshire (5.1) July 1984 - Nefyn, north Wales (5.4)June 1931 - in North Sea near Great Yarmouth (6.1) Mother's lucky escapeQUAKES IN THE UK December 2006 - Dumfries and Galloway (magnitude 3.5)September 2002 - Dudley, West Midlands (5.0)October 2001 - Melton Mowbray (4.1)September 2000 - Warwick (4.2) April 1990 - Bishop's Castle, Shropshire (5.1) July 1984 - Nefyn, north Wales (5.4)June 1931 - in North Sea near Great Yarmouth (6.1) Mother's lucky escape
Kent Fire and Rescue Service took more than 200 emergency calls, from people concerned about a variety of issues ranging from structural damage to gas smells. Building control teams from many other parts of Kent have been drafted in to help share the workload.
The Kent quake is the largest recorded in Britain since one in Dudley in 2002. Experts from the British Geological Survey said the epicentre of the quake was 7.5 miles off the Dover coast in the English Channel.
Police want owners of local businesses which were empty over the weekend to check their premises for signs of damage. Kent Fire and Rescue Service took more than 400 emergency calls about concerns ranging from structural damage to gas smells.
The BGS is keen for anyone who felt the earthquake to fill in a questionnaire on their website so they can collect information on the impact of the earthquake to analyse in more detail its strength and precise location. The earthquake brought down power lines with several thousand homes affected, but EDF Energy Networks said service were quickly restored in the Folkestone and Dover areas.