Guys, confirm to my ears is this ridgecrest . It appears to be a house fire. Mayor breeden, this may be one of the five fires you were describing. It is absolutely raging. You see fire on the scene. Can you just give us an update . You say you believe there have been five fires. Youre not entirely sure if theyre under control. I do not know that officially. As i look around me i can see smoke but i cannot see i cannot see other than one, and thats still black smoke. Theres others that im sure that i only know of the report. And you mention as we stay on these images, you mention checking in with an assisted living facility. Did they have power . Is power totally out where you are . In some places its out and others it isnt. Okay. Okay, ridgecrest, california mayor Peggy Breeden you have many more people to talk to on the phone. Thank you so much for jumping on with me and my best to you. Dorothia smith is with me on the phone. And she felt the earthquake in trona, california, 20 miles from ridgecrest. What did you feel . Oh, wow, it was a bad shaking. A really bad shaking. Pictures coming offthewall, tvs breaking. Cars shaking, wobbling. Hot water heaters exploded, all kinds of things. My wash and dryer came a loose. It was bad. Are you home alone . Do you have people with you . Oh, yes, everybody is they all came to my house. Okay, good, maybe thats the
up side of this happening on a holiday. Hopefully folks had family and friends around them. Its also my understanding weve been covering some of these rock slides and, you know, boulders shaking loose. Have you its my understanding you saw some of that . Well, i didnt see it. We were on my niece was on her way her coworker, rather, im sorry, was on her way out of trona and a boulder fell. And a couple of people on their way into tronea said the boulde almost hit their car from the mountain. I know two big boulders came down and broke the concrete, i mean thaasphalt. So theres no way in or out of trona right now. Were stuck. Youre stuck. And after shocks, have you felt them . Oh, theyre coming. Theyre coming strong. Are you from southern
california . Is this the kind of thing youve felt before . How would you rate it among other earthquakes if youve felt Anything Else . Well, a while back there was a really big one. I was living in l. A. There was a really big one then. I think this one is worse than that one. The real big one in l. A. , i cant remember the year or anything, but this one was worse, yeah. I think a lot of people are talking about north ridge. That was in 194 i believe. Dorthia, thank you very much. Im going to let you be with your family there in trona, california. Tom seder, just talking to all these voices, folks who live in this part of it country hopefully a lot of the them are not alone and with friends and family not having to work on this holiday. But between the fires youre seeing on the screen and boulders in the middle of
highways and roads and people stuck in towns, this is incredibly devastating. It is not the Independence Day ridgecrest was hoping for and all the families, firefighters, First Responders, Law Enforcement, just the Inspection Process alone for all the homes and businesses could take a week or more. 30,000 residents in ridgecrest. Now, were working to confirm a couple of minor details. We received an email from the usgs instead of a 5 mile depth they make cut it. To cut it to 2 1 2 miles that would create more energy outward in the region. The other factor were working on they may move the epicenter 6 miles. We went through the shake map again. Again, right around 30,000 people, i mean youve got 42,000 felt very strong shaking. That is the category there are higher categories but thats
as high as this quake is going. No one felt severe, violent ear extreme, thank goodinize. 21 million felt like shaking, thats l. A. And weve got another 2 million that felt what wed call weak. This is what we want to see. This a pager we call it, you want to see green when youre talking about estimated fatalities. And theyre saying a good 65 chance no one died or maybe up to one fatality. Lets hope thats not the case. Or maybe 30 chance theres 1 to 10. You dont want to think about that but when theres calls to 911 youre wondering is anyone trapped . It doesnt take much for a chandelier to fall or a wall to give in. 35 chance economic losses could be 10 million to 100 million. That would be the Ridgecrest Area. The after shocks, this is what i
want to get into, we could still see a 5. 4. Typically when you have a 6. 4 you could have an after 5. 4 or greater. We havent had that yet. Brooke, this will blow your mind here. This is all Southern California. There are hundreds of little yellow dots. These are all quakes of different sizes typically small from the last week. Now, were going to get in closer. When you see orange this is the last 24 hours. Bakersfield, were getting closer, much closer here. Youre going to see orange in the last 24 hours. Red, thats in the last hour, brooke. Thats in the last 60 minutes. One, two, three, four, 21, 22, i mean youve got almost 42 after shocks in the last 60 minutes. Again, in orange its the last 24. So this has been an active area now and i think the Computer Models are really starting to grab onto it. Here is ridgecrest where the 30,000 live and you get closer to Death Valley National park. Yes, its higher terrain and that can absorb some of this energy, but when youre feeling that, theres no doubt there could be major damage. And were seeing it as you mentioned in this region. As dr. Lucy jones mentioned when it comes to these after shocks the last time, 1999 the after shocks lasted six months. Thats not unusual. We see this Around The World quite a bit. This is going to be really testing the nerves of everyone in the entire region. Our thoughts and prayers of everyone there and all the Law Enforcement and firefighters giving up their day today to do what they do. Lets hope no one is injured and more importantly no fatalities with this. Talking to the control room. Tom, thanks very much. Whats susannes last name. Im much better than you are there in Southern California. Are you in ridgecrest . I was in ridgecrest when it happened at home. Getting ready for work and it was a violent shake. It was a violent shake. Describe it more. The shelves, my roommates motherinlaw lives a couple doors down from house. I ran to her house, things off the shelves, broken glass. In the backyard, the pool went everywhere so her backyard is
kind of flooded. There is a fire on California Street in ridgecrest. And its a home because theres no businesses right in that area. Were looking at pictures. Let me interject we were looking at pictures of a home in ridgecrest. But a lot of people are comparing it to north ridge in 1994. You were saying it was worse . More violent. More violent . Yeah, it just shook and shook and seemed like it was never going to quit. It shook for what seemed like forever but i know it was probably 30 seconds if not that. I was just talking to the mayor of ridgecrest, and as she was talking to me she had to stop because she was feeling an after shock, which seemed to go on for a second, and, you know, listening to our own meteorologists there have been dozens of after shocks. How many have you felt . I felt the only one i felt
was the 6. 4, but my roommate had felt the one a few minutes before then. She came in and told me we just had an earthquake. And look what im watching, a show called volcano and thats not an earthquake but its scary. There are some people that have no electricity. Did you . We have electricity. So i ju can we go back to that for a second . But youre telling me you were home, you felt a 6. 4 earthquake and then you wept to work . I came running out to work as soon as i made sure my roommates mother was okay and my neighbor was okay. I i came out to make sure i had a job. Susanne you deserve a raise. Are you at the pub right now and
is anyone actually with you in it or are you alone. He came in to make sure i didnt need any help cleaning the mess up. Is there damage where you are or even in your drive from home to work, did you see damage . I did see the one fire. Emergency personnel has been going past my work so theres other things going on. I just dont know what whch i know theres other people from town and i know of one person who does not are have le electricity in ridgecrest. And then the one fire in ridgecrest i know of. I was told that the chevron here, A Bunch Of Stuff went flying off the shelves. So i would imagine the Hardware Store is even worse because they have all kinds of stuff on their shelves. Yeah. No, were getting all kind of reports of that sort of because it was so as your word, violent, rolling, shaking. Susanne, im going to let you go. Hope you get that raise, showed up at work after feeling an earthquake. April ryan on the phone with me, someone who felt the earthquake from trona, california. How are you doing and what did it feel like . Can you hear me . It was really scary. Yeah, i can hear you. Can you hear me . Yes, maam. It was really scary. We had a little one at first and then i thought that was going to be the big one and then the big one started and i thought it was going to stop in a minute and it didnt stop. And so we were just panicked trying to get out of the house because everything is falling out of the cabinet, off the
shelves, offthewalls, pictures, nicknacks, and then it was like they were flying like missiles off the shelves. Flying like missiles. I have a newborn grandson hes two weeks old only and he lives across town and i was hysterical because i couldnt get my son on the phone, and it was just so scary. Of course you were. Congratulations, grandma. And is he okay . Did you get ahold of him . Yeah, theyre here with us now. So the worry, our town is really small and our main source of income is a giant chemical plant. And the worry always is anytime Something Like this happens is the plant to have a breach or there be chemicals in the air or an explosion or something. Were just kind of nervous waiting to see if we hear the siren to evacuate. Yeah, lets hope not. Think positively. We know there have been a number of fires not too far from you in ridgecrest. Just talking to the mayor there, broken gas lines, that kind of thing. Youve had fires or broken gas lines . Weve had the neighbor down the street had a broken gas line. Theres been broken waterlines. Someones water heater fell off in the garage, and its the County Sheriff and the county Fire Department are doing a really good Job Patrolling to help people. Im sure they are. Do you have power . No, we dont have power and its probably going to be 120 here today so thats a worry. Oh, my gosh. So many people without power, so warm and dealing with these after shocks. And with a 2weekold grand baby. April, thank you so much for
being on with me. Im going to let you go. Our best to you. Lets continue on. Announcer this is cnn breaking news. Welcome to cnn here on the Fourth Of July. We are in the thick of things in this breaking news. If you are just joining us we have been following the news across central and Southern California, a rolling 6. 4 magnitude quake shook the area about 90 minutes ago. Weve been talking to a number of eyewitnesses describing the initial massive, you know, shaking lasting 10 seconds. It was centered near this town of ridgecrest, california, which is east of bakersfield and about 120 miles northeast of los angeles. But folks even in las vegas felt the Rolling Shaking. The usgs, says this was the largest earthquake to rattle the
los angeles basin since 1999. And we have been counting. There have been nearly 60, that is 60, after shocks. So far no reports of injuries. We are starting to learn of some reports of damage close to the epicenter. Youre looking there at this one example of this house fire in the Ridgecrest Area. A number of people have been sharing their images and were so grateful to you all of doing that. Of their homes or ceiling lights swaying, waves within their backyard pools. And so grateful to everyone calling in, talking to me and just letting us know what their various situations are and what this Rolling Shaking felt like. Sar sarah now outside our bury in los angeles. And for people just joining us, what did it feel like when it hit you . Certainly we felt it here. Our building is about 15 floors
tall, and we could feel a jolt and then a shake. And it went on for quite some time. I think that is the one thing we all remarked on. We also talked to folks who are on the ground floor as were up three or four floors and they said they actually felt the roll. They felt the jolt, and then they felt the floor roll. And so that is exactly what youre hearing happened at the epicenter as well in ridgecrest where people, of course, felt it far stronger than we did here in los angeles. But for long time angelinas, those who have lived here their whole lives this is for a lot of people the strongest earthquake theyve felt. And sometimes you get these, its a jolt and then it stops and youre not even sure if it was an earthquake. This one was very clear and apparent. I can tell you looking out some of things on the walls started to move, but looking out onto the ground here these light
poles were definitely swaying just slightly. But theres no damage thats been reported so far here in los angeles. We are hearing in the San Bernardino area theres been potentially rock slides there and some cracks in some buildings there. We need to mention were about 150 or so miles away from where the epicenter was there in ridgecrest. And i think those in ridgecrest are experiencing a number, at least 58 confirmed after shocks so far. And i think, brooke, to your point every time you speak to someone what do you hear . Were feeling another one. Theyre coming within seconds of each other. This is natural and what happens with an event this large, a 6. 4 Earthquake Hitting there and an epicenter in and around ridgecrest. Now, the after shocks are generally much smaller. We know there was a fore shock according to the reknowned
seismologist lucy jones. There was a 4. 2 about a halfhour before they felt the larger earthquake. We will see more andmorally of these after shocks coming. They could be up to five or more or a 1. Generally speaking they will be enough for people to feel them and it wont just be today. Tle be today, tomorrow, the next day. But they will lessen in the number of them that come rolling through there. And for the people who are there, we have heard from the mayor. The mayor talking to you just now she was feeling one and it felt pretty big. But she also says, look, i am seeing there are five fires going on, there are broken gas lines. That can be the most dangerous thing in an earthquake like this because when those lines rupture they can smell fires and they also need to go to safety because there can be explosions as well from ruptured gas lines. Also if you are seeing this and feeling this and its scaring you but theres no emergency people are saying and the Police Department saying please dont call 911. There are actual emergencies happening, people potentially injured in this and they want to make sure those lines are open for those in stress, but certainly go check on your neighbors, go check on people. If youre okay there may be someone next door that isnt okay, so thats very important. The mayor mentioning that as well. I can tell you were getting obviously social media is blowing up with a lot of different things. People feeling this from las vegas to los angeles. That was such an excellent note from the mayor of ridgecrest. If youre okay, thats wonderful. Go next door and check on your neighbor and make sure theyre okay as well. He covers the trona area, weve talked to a number of people from trona. You tell me what are your Biggest Challenges right now . So right now our biggest challenge is going to be the isolated this is one of our outside outlying areas so our firefighters in the area are conducting Damage Assessment surveys and out there in the streets checking for excess issues, any damage to the roadway, any potential hazards such as gas leaks or power line issues or anything that would result from the actual earthquake itself so damaging infrastructure. We have different resources responding out there as well to assist with that. Can you describe some of the damage thats being reported in San Bernardino county . At this point were getting reports of minor to moderate damage to the structure itself that consists mainly of cracks in stucco or drywall. Our fire station out there actually had some of their oxygen tanks or sonars detached
from the wall that were secured, and computers falling off their desks. We do have some reports of up to 4 inches in the main highways or the road into the area as well as some rock slides and larger boulders that have rolled into the area. Were working with california Highway Patrol for evaluation of those major thoroughfares and entry into that region. Let me ask you about that because i was talking to a woman whose neighbor had driv in and she had recounted huge boulders coming off, you know, the sides of the roads and landing square in the middle of these major roadways and she described herself and her family in trona as being stuck. What is the situation for folks in the area who want to whats the status of the roadways . Are they stuck . So at this point the information ive received is that the major entries and exits out of the region are still intact and are passable. We just ask everyone take that
caution when they are traveling the roadways because the integrity may be compromised as they drive or they have some rock slides in the area. So theyll need to travel slow and only do so when safe approaching certain areas. Would you advise people to stay on the roads or stay put . At this point if people are able to do so and their homes are intact we recommend everyone shelter in plac