Officials: 2 Quakes Caused more than $100K in Damage in Wichita

Wichita officials say the city suffered more than $100,000 in damage from two earthquakes in early January.

The Wichita Eagle reports the city will pay for the repairs out of its operating budget because the city’s earthquake insurance deductible is $250,000.

An earthquake incident report says about $60,000 of the cost came from repairing 10 water main breaks after the earthquakes. Other damages were to foundations or masonry of city buildings, including two recreation centers, police substations, the Mid-America All-Indian Center and the Alford Library.

The city also plans to improve its earthquake response plan in case earthquakes become more frequent.

Scientists suspect recent earthquakes in Kansas are being caused by injections of wastewater by oil fracking companies.