4.9 shakes Southern California followed by several aftershocks

A-seismograph-at-Griffith-Observatory

Important Takeaways:

  • A magnitude 4.9 earthquake followed by several strong aftershocks shook Southern California early Monday afternoon.
  • According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake struck at 1 p.m., with the epicenter roughly 13 miles northeast of Barstow in San Bernardino County. The impact was felt across a wide swath of Southern California, including metropolitan Los Angeles and northern San Diego County.
  • The USGS initially measured the quake as a 5.1 magnitude but quickly downgraded it to 4.9. It was followed by several significant aftershocks measuring 3.5 and 2.7.
  • There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
  • Thousands of earthquakes are recorded in California each year, but the vast majority are extremely minor. According to the USGS, only several hundred are greater than magnitude 3.0, and only about 15 to 20 are greater than magnitude 4.0.

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Southern California lashed with heavy rain as homes are now inundated with Mudslides

Revelation 16:9 “They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.”

Important Takeaways:

  • Sludge River! Mudslide is seen pouring down California mountain and swallowing homes and business whole as terrified locals run for their lives
  • A shocking new video captured the moment that a devastating mudslide crashed through a restaurant in a mountain community in San Bernardino County
  • The mudslide engulfed the Oak Glen Steakhouse forcing the restaurant to close indefinitely
  • One of the owners said: ‘The mud came up and over the roof and when it came over the roof it pushed through’
  • The restaurant was closed when the mudslide occurred and there was nobody inside
  • A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the restaurant to continue to pay their staff while the repairs are made
  • The mudslide occurred amid heavy rain on the back of Tropical Storm Kay in Southern California while in the northern part of the state, firefighters are battling three major blazes

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Wildfires rage in California, stoked by extreme heat in U.S. West

(Reuters) – Three large wildfires burned in California and a fourth was growing quickly on Monday as a weekend heat wave lingered across large swaths of the western United States.

The Creek Fire, which has engulfed the Fresno area in central California and caused the emergency evacuation over the weekend of more than 200 people vacationing at a popular reservoir, was still not contained as of Monday afternoon, fire officials said.

The blaze, growing under “extreme weather conditions,” had devoured nearly 79,000 acres (32,000 hectares) of land, while a cause remained under investigation, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire) said in a statement.

Officials in Madera County issued evacuation orders and urged the county’s 157,000 residents to leave if they felt unsafe.

A hiker who had just embarked on a multi-day trip when the Creek Fire broke out and had to find a way out of the blaze shared the harrowing experience on social media.

“We’re safe and we’re out, but wow, we hiked our way out of the #CreekFire yesterday,” Asha Karim posted on Twitter.

The Oak Fire in Mendocino County started burning around 1:26 pm on Monday afternoon, according to CalFire, and three hours later it had already torched 1,000 acres (400 hectares) and destroyed one structure.

Videos on social media showed the fire consuming pick-up trucks as it spread along Highway 101 near Willits, California.

“If you’re trying to get out of an evacuation area please call 911 for help. Don’t delay!” the Mendocino Sheriff’s Office wrote on Twitter.

San Francisco-based power provider PG&E said late on Monday that it began turning off power in “high fire-threat” areas. The outages will impact 172,000 customers in 22 counties, mostly in the Sierra Foothills, PG&E said, adding the shut off was a safety measure due to the extreme high and dry winds.

The California Independent Systems Operator, which runs most of the state’s power grid, again urged consumers to cut back on energy consumption and said it was monitoring wildfires throughout the state threatening power lines.

In Southern California, east of San Diego, more than 400 firefighters battled the Valley Fire, which burned more than 17,000 acres (6,900 hectares)in Cleveland National Forest. Video shared on social media showed firefighters dousing the flames, the air thick with ash and fire embers.

The blaze was 3% contained on Monday evening. Officials announced the deployment of military aircraft on Monday afternoon to help fight the flames.

A fire in San Bernardino County, southeast of Los Angeles, that officials said was caused by a pyrotechnic device used during a gender reveal party, kept burning through the night and was 7% contained as of Monday morning.

On Sunday, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Fresno, Madera, Mariposa, San Bernardino and San Diego counties due to the wildfires, which also prompted the U.S. Forest Service to temporarily close some national forests including the Sierra National Forest, the Angeles National Forest and the San Bernardino National Forest.

(Reporting by Maria Caspani and Gabriella Borter in New York; additional reporting by Kanishka Singh; Editing by Leslie Adler, Peter Cooney and Michael Perry)