Residents of McAdam, N.B., say the most recent earthquake in their village was the worst they’ve ever experienced, even though the town has become the epicentre of earthquake swarms.

"It's just like somebody's picking your house up and holding it in the air and dropping it back down," said McAdam resident Sherry MacFarlane.

Others say it was as if a train had exploded through the town, or their home had been hit by an 18-wheel transport truck.

"It was scary,” said MacFarlane. “They're like explosions and they just kept happening, happening."

Resident Kim Godbout says knowing her town is experiencing an earthquake swarm provides little comfort.

"Last evening was one of the worst evenings we've had so far because it just kept on going," said Godbout.

Experts say an earthquake swarm is several shallow earthquakes that an area feels in a relatively short period of time.

McAdam Mayor Frank Carroll says he recorded between 21 and 25 of them on Monday, with one around 8 p.m. registered at a 3.3 magnitude.

Carroll called an emergency Village Council meeting where they decided they have to do something.

"We are going to circulate within the next 24 hours information for folks, how to protect themselves and take the best safety steps to make sure they are protecting their families," said Carroll.

Trevor Allen, a seismologist with Natural Resources Canada, says there have been 17 earthquakes registered in the area since Feb. 3, but acknowledges that residents are feeling many more.

As for going to McAdam and putting in a seismograph, he said it’s something they’re talking about at the moment, but don’t have a timeline for.

An investigation took place when the village experienced a swarm back in 2012. Geophysical consultant Kenneth Burke says he was there at the time.

"We’ll probably come in and install portable seismographs in the village to get a better handle on the actual location of the earthquakes, whether they're underneath the village like they were last time, or maybe a little bit further out," said Burke.

The mayor says they've asked to have a seismograph stationed in the area to measure the quakes, especially since the worry in this community has escalated.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Laura Brown.