He said he believes that a lawsuit can be brought against insurance companies that don’t want to pay claims and that residents could recoup damages for pain and suffering.

Many residents are afraid a magnitude-5.0 quake could hit, he said. Children have begun sleeping with their parents out of fear, he said.

In addition, residents are suffering market loss on homes that have had to be repaired, he said.

Politics and money are the reasons the quakes are still damaging property, Poynter said.

Kim Hatfield, president of Crawley Petroleum and a member of the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association, said he understands residents’ fear and concern, adding that is natural to be afraid of things one can’t control.

“I think there is a consensus that the injection wells are at least a portion of the problem,” he said.

But a moratorium on injection wells would have far-reaching implications for Oklahoma, where the oil and gas industry is a major part of the economy, he said.

Fallin was not at the legislative hearing. Michael McNutt, the governor’s spokesman, said she was conducting the state’s business on Friday, much of it involving issues affecting the economy and the state budget.