Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in the wake of a magnitude 7.1 earthquake on Friday night, and followed it up Saturday with a trip to Ridgecrest, where the powerful temblor struck.
As of Saturday night, no deaths, major injuries or building collapses were reported, according to state and local officials. And roads closed due to splits or rock slides were repaired and reopened.
Edgar Martinez, 20, of Ridgecrest, stands near where his family slept outside, after the first earthquake, at his stepfather’s home in the Whispering Winds Mobile Home Park in Ridgecrest on Saturday, July 6, 2019. The city was hit with a 7.1 earthquake Friday night after a 6.4 foreshock on the Fourth of July. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Dennis Coffee, of Ridgecrest, looks at the damage to his home in the Whispering Winds Mobile Home Park in Ridgecrest on Saturday, July 6, 2019. The city was hit with a 7.1 earthquake Friday night after a 6.4 foreshock on the Fourth of July. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
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Caution tape surrounds a home in the Whispering Winds Mobile Home Park that burned after Friday night’s 7.1 earthquake in Ridgecrest on Saturday, July 6, 2019. The city was hit with a 7.1 earthquake Friday night after a 6.4 foreshock on the Fourth of July. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A jack is seen breaking through the floor of the Coffee’s mobile home in the Whispering Winds Mobile Home Park in Ridgecrest on Saturday, July 6, 2019. The city was hit with a 7.1 earthquake Friday night after a 6.4 foreshock on the Fourth of July. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Edgar Martinez, 20, of Ridgecrest, looks at the damage to his stepfather’s home in the Whispering Winds Mobile Home Park in Ridgecrest on Saturday, July 6, 2019. The city was hit with a 7.1 earthquake Friday night after a 6.4 foreshock on the Fourth of July. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Family members Edgar Martinez, left, Angel Munoz, 14, and Antonio Ortiz, look at the damage to Ortiz’s home in the Whispering Winds Mobile Home Park in Ridgecrest on Saturday, July 6, 2019. The city was hit with a 7.1 earthquake Friday night after a 6.4 foreshock on the Fourth of July. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Antonio Ortiz walks through his kitchen as he looks at the damage to his family’s home in the Whispering Winds Mobile Home Park in Ridgecrest on Saturday, July 6, 2019. The city was hit with a 7.1 earthquake Friday night after a 6.4 foreshock on the Fourth of July. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Laura Coffee, left, and her father Billy Brown, both of Ridgecrest, looks at the damage to Coffee’s home in the Whispering Winds Mobile Home Park in Ridgecrest on Saturday, July 6, 2019. The city was hit with a 7.1 earthquake Friday night after a 6.4 foreshock on the Fourth of July. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Dennis Coffee, left, and his father-in-law Billy Brown, both of Ridgecrest, look at the damage to Coffee’s home in the Whispering Winds Mobile Home Park in Ridgecrest on Saturday, July 6, 2019. The city was hit with a 7.1 earthquake Friday night after a 6.4 foreshock on the Fourth of July. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A portion of the Coffee’s back door is hidden, after their mobile home dropped two-feet from the earthquake, in the Whispering Winds Mobile Home Park in Ridgecrest on Saturday, July 6, 2019. The city was hit with a 7.1 earthquake Friday night after a 6.4 foreshock on the Fourth of July. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Ridgecrest Police Chief Jed McLaughlin gives an update during a press conference at City Hall in Ridgecrest on Saturday, July 6, 2019. The city was hit with a 7.1 earthquake Friday night after a 6.4 foreshock on the Fourth of July. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
City officials give updates during a press conference at City Hall in Ridgecrest on Saturday, July 6, 2019. The city was hit with a 7.1 earthquake Friday night after a 6.4 foreshock on the Fourth of July. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
California Governor Gavin Newsom listens as Ridgecrest Police Chief Jed McLaughlin speaks to the media, after a tour of the damaged areas in the city with the governor, during a press conference at City Hall in Ridgecrest on Saturday, July 6, 2019. The city was hit with a 7.1 earthquake Friday night after a 6.4 foreshock on the Fourth of July. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks to the media, after touring the damaged areas in the city, during a press conference at City Hall in Ridgecrest on Saturday, July 6, 2019. The city was hit with a 7.1 earthquake Friday night after a 6.4 foreshock on the Fourth of July. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks to the media, after touring the damaged areas in the city, during a press conference at City Hall in Ridgecrest on Saturday, July 6, 2019. The city was hit with a 7.1 earthquake Friday night after a 6.4 foreshock on the Fourth of July. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
The press conference is broadcasted through the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services Facebook Live feed, after California Governor Gavin Newsom toured the damaged areas in the city, during a press conference at City Hall in Ridgecrest on Saturday, July 6, 2019. The city was hit with a 7.1 earthquake Friday night after a 6.4 foreshock on the Fourth of July. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A San Bernardino County firefighter carries water to a vehicle at Station 57 in Trona Saturday July 6. The area has been hit with two major earthquakes since Thursday. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Pepsi employee J.B. Lloyd speaks with a San Bernardino County firefighter at Trona High School after delivering 6 pallets of water to the town Saturday July 6. The area has been hit with two major earthquakes since Thursday. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Brick pillars lay on the ground blocking a Trona home’s entrance Saturday July 6, 2019. The area has been hit with two major earthquakes since Thursday. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Smoke rises off a mountain as a broken chimney can be seen at the site of the Searles Valley Minerals Trona facility Saturday July 6. The area has been hit with two major earthquakes since Thursday. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A collapsed cinder block wall lays on the ground outside a home in Trona Saturday July 6. The area has been hit with two major earthquakes since Thursday. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A collapsed chimney tore a large hole in the roof of a home in Trona Saturday July 6. The area has been hit with two major earthquakes since Thursday. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A collapsed cinder block wall lays in the street outside a home in Trona Saturday July 6. The area has been hit with two major earthquakes since Thursday. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A broken chimney still stands tall over the Searles Valley Minerals Trona facility Saturday July 6. The area has been hit with two major earthquakes since Thursday. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Broken chimney bricks sit on the roof of a Trona home Saturday July 6. The area has been hit with two major earthquakes since Thursday. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A toppled gravestone lays on the ground Saturday, July 6 at the Searles Valley Cemetery above Trona. The area has been hit with two major earthquakes since Thursday. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A toppled gravestone lays on the ground Saturday, July 6 at the Searles Valley Cemetery above Trona. The area has been hit with two major earthquakes since Thursday. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A grave is freshly sunken at the Searles Valley Cemetery above Trona Saturday July 6. The area has been hit with two major earthquakes since Thursday. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
A cinder block wall collapsed onto the street outside a home in Trona Saturday July 6. The area has been hit with two major earthquakes since Thursday. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Shawn Dodson (left), with San Bernardino County Fire Department, stacks cases of water donated by Vince Burns (right), from Ridgecrest, at Fire Station 57 Saturday July 6, in Trona. The area has been hit with two major earthquakes since Thursday. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Earthquake damage is shown following a 7.1 earthquake Friday near Ridgecrest, California, July 6, 2019. Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer
Caltrans workers work to fix an 11-inch water main break after Friday’s earthquake near Ridgecrest, California, July 6, 2019. Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer
Earthquake damage is shown following Friday’s earthquake near Ridgecrest, California, July 6, 2019. Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer
Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake near Ridgecrest said in a Facebook post that nonessential workers were evacuated and operations halted after Friday’s earthquake. Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer
Damage is seen after Friday’s earthquake near Trona, California, July 6, 2019. Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer
Damage is seen after Friday’s earthquake near Trona, California, July 6, 2019. Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer
Local evacuees leave a fire station with their belongings after Friday’s earthquake near Trona, California, U.S., July 6, 2019. photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer
Damage is seen after Friday’s earthquake near Trona, California, July 6, 2019. Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer
Railroad ties are bent after Friday’s earthquake near Trona, California, U.S., July 6, 2019. photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer
One of many surface cracks scene after Friday’s earthquake near Trona, California, July 6, 2019. Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer
USGS techs look over rupture cracks from the epicenter along Highway 178 after Friday’s earthquake near Ridgecrest, California, July 6, 2019. Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer
Retire DWP engineer Craig Davis (L) walks over one of the many large cracks after Friday night’s earthquake near Ridgecrest, California, July 6, 2019. Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer
“It’s hard for the world to know what we’ve been through because by the grace of God, we’ve had no casualties and we’ve had only minor injuries, which is amazing with these two big earthquakes,” said Ridgecrest Police Chief Jed McLaughlin. “Also, our structures have remained upright.”
The desert town, once known for shaking and baking with tiny temblors, has been an active quake site since the 1930s.
“Ridgecrest was … the earthquake capital of the world, because of all the small earthquakes,” said Egill Hauksson of Caltech.
Many additional earthquakes are expected now. As of Saturday night, there were 3,000 aftershocks since the magnitude 6.4 earthquake that hit the area on July 4. Eventually, the sequence of quakes could generate more than 30,000 temblors, said Hauksson.
There’s a 27% chance of a magnitude 6 quake in the next week, and a 3% chance of a magnitude 7 or above in the Ridgecrest area, he said.
Feeling unsafe
Lizbet Lugo and her family don’t know whether to stay or leave Ridgecrest because of all the shaking and the predictions of future temblors. She’s too afraid to sleep in her bed.
“My family wants me to go to Bishop, but I don’t know if it’s safe,” said Lugo, 26, referring to the community where her parents live. “Now I don’t know if any place is safe.”
Lugo and her children, ages 9, 8 and 6, did not sleep Friday night after the 7.1 quake that followed the Independence Day temblor. Instead, they stayed on the porch of their Whispering Winds mobile home.
About 160 people sought shelter and aid at the Kerr McGee Community Center in Ridgecrest, the Red Cross reported Saturday morning.
Newsom met with Ridgecrest leaders Saturday and held a news conference, thanking first responders and officials for their work. He said he had spoken minutes earlier with President Trump, who pledged his support.
“I have all the confidence in the world the president will be forthcoming,” Newsom said.
The governor compared Ridgecrest to San Francisco rising from the ashes of the 1906 earthquake. “That resiliency, that same level of commitment is demonstrable when you walk around this community,” he said.
Pitching in
The Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Urban Search and Rescue Team 136 and Hazardous Materials Team 811 were deployed to help assess damages. The Orange County Fire Authority also sent a heavy rescue apparatus and urban search and rescue support vehicle with six firefighters to areas that felt the brunt of the quake.
San Bernardino County first responders reported 911 calls coming in from northwest communities, with homes shifted, foundation cracked and retaining walls down.
Numerous gas leaks were detected in the Trona and Argus areas, according to San Bernardino Fire authorities. Firefighters secured leaks where possible and evacuated residents from homes where the leaks could not be secured, the agency announced.
The Ridgecrest Police Department sent out a plea for Trona, saying the community is in “serious need of water.” Police urged anyone able to bring a case, boxed or wrapped, to the Ridgecrest Police Department, so it could deliver water to Trona in a trailer.
Trona, a tiny unincorporated community on Death Valley’s southwestern border, is 170 miles northeast of Los Angeles and an hour and a half north of the High Desert community of Adelanto.
Even before the two earthquakes, the former company town of Trona was a ghost town, with most of the houses vacant on many streets. Its population is less than 2,000, dwarfed by nearby Ridgecrest, with a modest population of 29,000, just over the Kern County line. Trona’s already sparse population may be getting smaller.
“People are trying to get out of town, because they think another quake’s coming,” said resident Jerry Johnson.
The governor’s emergency edicts cover both San Bernardino and Kern counties, Newsom said. Such declarations help to get resources in play more quickly, allowing communities to recover some expenses when disasters strike.
Officials were still inspecting gas lines on Saturday but announced at a news conference that roads in the affected areas were repaired and rock slides cleared.
Both quakes in rural Kern County, which shook Southern California and far beyond, sparked fires in four homes. In the aftermath, a convenience store and a residence were burglarized, authorities said.
The Mt. Vernon Bridge in San Bernardino was closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic while it was inspected following the earthquakes. Caltrans determined it was safe to travel on Saturday and police said it would re-open.
More quakes to come
The 7.1 temblor was centered roughly 11 miles northeast of Ridgecrest, near where Thursday’s 6.4 magnitude quake hit, the USGS said.
Had Friday’s quake struck south of Ridgecrest in the same fault zone, it would have been more dangerous for Los Angeles County, Caltech scientists said.
Some Los Angeles users of an app designed as an alarm for earthquakes complained that the device didn’t work for the Ridgecrest shaker. Caltech officials reiterated on Saturday that it did work, but the thresholds were too high and the quake too far away to register. Makers of the Shake Alert LA app said they would lower the threshold to make it more sensitive.
