EARTHQUAKE AWARENESS
Magna Business Owner Looks Back 1 Year After Earthquake
Mar 18, 2021, 6:26 AM | Updated: 12:50 pm
MAGNA, Utah – Thursday marks the 1-year anniversary of the 5.7 magnitude earthquake that rattled northern Utah.
While much of the Wasatch Front felt the ground move that day, the epicenter was near Magna, where homes and businesses sustained much of the damage. One such business was forced to close shop for several months.
Colosimo’s, located on Main Street and 9000 West, is a well-known business in the area. The family makes homemade sausages, among other things, at its market. In 2020, the building was heavily-damaged on one side and the Colosimos had to close the store for three months until the property was deemed safe again.
Danny Colosimo was home on March 18, 2020, getting ready to go meat a supplier at his family business when the quake hit.
He missed the destruction at the market by 15 minutes.
He said he’s thankful nobody was inside or injured as a result and that the damage wasn’t as bad as they feared.
“It looked much worse than it was, and we were grateful for that,” he said. “But we still were down a couple, three months. We couldn’t have people come in the building until it was certified safe.”
Since that day, more than 2,500 aftershocks have been recorded in the Beehive State.
Colosimo’s was not the only business impacted, either. But most of the damage was located in the Magna area.
Thankfully, nobody was seriously injured or killed.
The 2020 event was a stern reminder that Utah is earthquake country. Scientists from the University of Utah Seismograph Stations said the state is at risk for an earthquake that could hit 7.5 on the Richter scale.
Residents in Salt Lake City who have homes with unreinforced masonry should look into the Fix the Bricks program, which “facilitates seismic improvements for its residents (unreinforced masonry homes) in an effort to save lives by reducing the number of deaths, injured and trapped after an earthquake,” according to Salt Lake City Emergency Management.
There is currently a waiting list, but homeowners can get registered at fixthebricks.com or by calling 801-799-3698.
Officials also noted Utahns should be prepared for disruptions in utilities by having a 2-week supply of water, food and medicine.
If an earthquake strikes, remember to “drop, cover and hold on.”
Get additional information at beready.utah.gov.
