By Miriam  Raftery

July 4, 2019 (Ridgecrest) – A 6.4 temblor named the #RidgecrestEarthquake struck 125 miles northeast of Los Angeles in Kern County’s Searles Valley this morning shortly after 10:30 a.m.  It was felt as far south as San Diego’s North County and Orange County, where Disneyland has closed rides for safety inspections due to the quake.

Governor Newsom has issued an emergency declaration for Ridgecrest, the city hardest hit with damages.

The quake is the strongest centered in California since a 7.1 quake at the Twenty-Nine Palms military base 20 years ago and the strongest felt in southern California since the 2010 Easter Sunday quake in northern Mexico that rattled San Diego.

Authorities, in a press conference this afternoon, say they were inundated with emergency calls including a home on fire, medical aid calls, gas and water leaks, and stores with merchandise knocked off shelves in Ridgecrest. The Ridgecrest Regional Hospital and several apartment buildings were evacuated, local media outlets report.

The powerful temblor opened up crevasses in roads, knocked down power lines and left some residents without electricity.  Minor injuries from broken glass and falling objects have occurred, according to CNN, Fortunately, no deaths have been reported.

By Miriam Raftery

Nadin Abbott contributed to this report.

March 29, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) – A 5.1 earthquake centered in La Habra in Los Angeles County rattled southern California shortly after 9 p.m. last night. It was initially reported by the U.S. Geological Survey as a 5.4 shaker but later downgraded to 5.1.

No damage has been reported locally . In Anaheim, rides were stopped at Disneyland as a precaution. Gas leaks and water line breaks were reported in some portions of Los Angeles and Orange Counties.  The Los Angeles Times reports that about 50 people are displaced in Fullerton, though overall damage has been minor.