This archive report was first published on 6 July 2019.
California Rocked by 7.1 Magnitude Quake ¶
On Friday night, a powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck Southern California, causing widespread damage and injuries. The quake was centered near Ridgecrest, a town in Kern County, and was preceded by a 6.4 magnitude temblor on Thursday.
According to seismologists, the quake was the largest Southern California quake in at least 20 years and was followed by a series of large and small aftershocks, including a few above magnitude 5.0.
Lucy Jones, a seismologist at the California Institute of Technology, warned that large aftershocks were expected to continue for days, if not weeks. She also stated that there was a 1-in-10 chance that another 7.0 quake could hit within the next week.
The quake was felt as far north as Sacramento, as far east as Las Vegas, and as far south as Mexico. The area in and around Ridgecrest took the brunt of the damage, with several thousand people without power and reports of cracked buildings.
Minor injuries were reported, with local officials stating that there were significant reports of structure fires, mostly as a result of gas leaks or gas line breaks throughout the city.
California Governor Gavin Newsom activated the state Office of Emergency Services operations center to its highest level and requested that President Donald Trump issue an emergency declaration to receive federal aid.
As the state continues to respond to the disaster, officials are also working to improve earthquake early warning systems. The West Coast ShakeAlert system has provided non-public earthquake notifications on a daily basis to many test users, including emergency agencies, industries, transportation systems, and schools.
California is partnering with the federal government to build a statewide earthquake warning system, with the goal of turning it on by June 2021. The state has spent at least $25 million building it, including installing hundreds of seismic stations throughout the state.
