Some Los Angeles County residents felt a small earthquake west of Malibu, California on Sunday afternoon. Preliminary estimates show that the earthquake magnitude is 4.1, according to the US Geological Survey.
Within five minutes of the initial shock, the aftermath of the region will be heard in the area of 2.5, 3.0 and 2.8, the agency said.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The Los Angeles Fire Department said the earthquake is not strong enough to cause an official earthquake response.
Still, many residents felt mild shaking, even if they themselves were barely rattling.
Alan Delarosa, 47, manager of Malibu at Jeffrey's outdoor restaurant overlooking the Pacific Ocean, was in her office when the earthquake struck just after 1pm.
The interference lasted about three seconds, he said. Once that was over, Delarosa quickly checked out the staff and guests. He was worried that the gas line might have been broken. However, his kitchen staff did not even register the movement. The gas line was safe. There was no broken glass.
23-year-old Amelia Gowdward had just arrived at Malibu Fitness when the earthquake struck. “I thought it was someone who lost weight,” she said. However, the persistent shaking made her understand what was going on.
“The whole building was moving,” she said. But I thought, “It wasn't that serious – 'Oh, this might be a big thing.” ”
After decades of relatively quiet, I was furious during what experts say was a period of increased seismic activity in the state. However, the outbreak does not indicate that a larger, catastrophic earthquake is no longer possible.
Seismicologists have long warned that earthquakes of the scale could occur at any time that California has not experienced since 1906. They urged residents to prepare as much as possible by assembling emergency supplies and practicing “drop, cover, hold-on” exercises with children.
It has been 30 years since a serious earthquake struck California.
The 6.9-sized Loma Prieta earthquake shook the Santa Cruz Mountains in 1989, killing 63 people and injuring more than 3,700 people.
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake in Los Angeles' Northridge area in 1994 killed 60 people, injured about 7,000 people, and damaged more than 40,000 buildings. The catastrophe also revealed major defects in several steel frame buildings, including many high rises that could collapse under extreme shaking.
Guzward, born and raised in Malibu, said he lost his home in 2018 in a woolsey fire that burned in the Santa Monica Mountains. Recently, they are sensitive to natural events affecting Southern California, particularly after flooding and shootings over the past few years.
“I'm starting to realize that this is my new normal,” she said.
Jill Cowan and Thomas Fuller Reports of contributions.
