An earthquake rocked the region early Friday morning.

There are no reports of significant damage or injuries after a moderate 5.2 earthquake rocked southern Illinois. The quake was centered near the town of New Salem, near Evansville, Indiana. However it could be felt all the way here in the Bluegrass and even as far south as Memphis.

It was sudden awakening for many across the region as the quake shook homes at 5:37 this morning.

State disaster and emergency officials are receiving scattered reports of small damage across western Kentucky and in Louisville.

According to Buddy Rogers with Kentucky Emergency Management, bricks came down from the facade of an older building in Downtown Louisville and a house in Logan County had three rooms where drywall cracked. Rogers also says bridges in Western Kentucky have been looked at and all are okay.

WHAS radio reported a water main break in Louisville may also be tremor related.

At this time, we do know that a 5.2 magnitude earthquake centered in Illinois hit at 04:36:57 AM Central, according to the United States Geological Survey Website.

27 NEWSFIRST is gathering more information. We will continue to update you on the air, as well as on 27 NEWSFIRST.com.

AP STORY

Ky. residents jolted by Ill. quake

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - An earthquake shook people awake across wide portions of Kentucky early Friday, prompting calls to authorities but causing little damage and no reported injuries.

The 5.2-magnitude temblor struck just before 4:37 a.m. (CST) and was centered six miles from West Salem, Ill., and 66 miles from Evansville, Ind. It was felt across a number of states.

Beverly Lee said her area "shook like crazy" in the Reed community in Henderson County but the quake caused no damage to her mobile home.

"It was just like someone was standing outside shaking that trailer," she said by phone from western Kentucky. "It shook my daughter right out of bed."

Chuck Wolfe, a state Transportation Cabinet spokesman, said the agency had dispatched inspectors to check out bridges, especially in areas closest to the quake's epicenter, out of an "abundance of caution." He said he had received no reports of damage to roads or bridges.

Wes Royse, a sales representative at WCLU radio station in Glasgow in south-central Kentucky, said the quake lasted as long as 30 seconds and shook him awake.

"It started out with a real fine shake, and then it got a little bit harder," he said.

In Louisville, the quake caused a bricks to fall off part of a building near downtown, and television video showed bricks strewn in the street and workers using equipment to remove them.

Chad Carlton, a spokesman for Mayor Jerry Abramson, said there were no reports of injuries.

Bill Stephens, news director at WSON-AM in Henderson, said he heard a rumbling when the quake struck, but said he had seen no damage to his home. He said his station received numerous calls from startled residents.

"There's a lot of fright with this one because of how strong it was and the time of day," he said.

Authorities across Kentucky also were inundated with calls.

Kentucky State Police dispatcher Natalie Alsip at the post in Henderson, just across the Ohio River from Evansville, said telephone calls poured in to the post and one man reported cracked plaster at his home.

Dispatcher Katrina Ellington at the state police post in Mayfield said there were many phone calls from western Kentucky locations, but no indication of injury or serious damage.

In far western Kentucky, no damage occurred at a uranium enrichment plant and operations continued as normal, said Elizabeth Stuckle, a spokeswoman for the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Did you feel this latest earthquake? Tell us your earthquake stories in a comment.