After a pair of earthquakes in Southern California, residents are bracing for the worst.
By Monday afternoon, the SOS Survival Store in Van Nuys was sold out of earthquake emergency kits, and business owner Jeff Edelstein was adding customers to a two-week wait list for a basic package containing a three-day supply of non-perishable food and water, flashlights and a first-aid essentials to endure the aftermath of major temblor.
The twin holiday weekend earthquakes sent a double jolt reportedly felt from Los Angeles to the San Francisco Bay Area, but earthquake experts said it's highly unlikely the spike in seismic activity is an omen of the"big one," the natural catastrophe for which Californians have long been bracing. In contrast, the 6.7 magnitude Northridge shaker in 1994 killed more than 50 people and caused in excess of $40 billion in damage. The Northridge quake occurred on a previously unknown fault 9 miles underground.
The Ridgecrest quakes happened in the Airport Lake Fault zone, which runs roughly 50 miles through the Mojave desert and is about 180 miles from the San Andreas fault, Kaven said. The quakes occurred on perpendicular fissures in the zone, including one that had not been previously charted. During a packed town hall meeting in Ridgecrest on Sunday afternoon, Capt. Anthony Romero of the Kern County Fire Department told those in attendance that while Thursday's quake"opened up the eyes of this community," Friday's quake"terrified the community."
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