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East County News Service
September 30,2016 (San Diego) –Following a swarm of recent small magnitude earthquakes that began on Monday near the Salton Sea in Southern California, the California Office of Emergency Services (OES) has issued an advisory that there is a small chance that an earthquake measuring 7.0 or more on the Richter scale could occur on the San Andreas fault before October 4.
The advisory warning includes San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange, Los Angeles, Kern , Imperial and Ventura counties.
Over 140 small quakes have occurred since Monday along the Salton Sea, which sits on the San Andreas fault northeast of San Diego. Those ranged from 1.4 to 4.3,according to the U.S. Geological Survey. These add stress to the San Andreas and San Jacinto faults.
“California is earthquake country. We must always be prepared and not let our guard down,” said OES Director Mark Ghilarducci in a press release.“The threat of an earthquake on the San Andreas fault hasn’t gone away, so this is another important opportunity for us to revisit our emergency plans and learn what steps you need to take if a significant earthquake hits.”
This reminder comes just a few weeks before the Great Shakeout, a nationwide earthquake preparedness drill on October 20.
On Tuesday afternoon, Cal OES held a conference call with emergency managers in eight Southern California counties to discuss this recent swarm of earthquakes and ensure that local emergency plans and preparedness education remains a priority. He reminded them of the important earthquake response and recovery planning work that has been done over the years, including earthquake plans in Northern and Southern California and the Cascadia Subduction Zone–Earthquake and Tsunami Plan along the north coast.
The risk of a 7.0 quake occurring by Oct. 4 is small—1 percent or less---but due to the potential for major damage, it’s wise to be prepared, such as securing loose objects and remembering to stop, take cover and hold on if a major quake occurs.
Additional earthquake preparedness resources:
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