On August 12th (Monday) at 12:20 PM, a 4.4-magnitude earthquake struck the Los Angeles area in California, causing strong tremors that were felt by the residents in the entire region. Some people even felt their houses shaking. Fortunately, as of the deadline, there were no reports of casualties or damages.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) initially classified the earthquake as a 4.7 magnitude, but later revised it twice to 4.4. The earthquake’s depth was 7.5 miles, with the epicenter located about 2.5 miles southeast of Highland Park near Chinatown in Los Angeles, and approximately 3 miles from South Pasadena. However, it did not trigger the U.S. tsunami warning system.
The Los Angeles Police Department immediately reminded the public on social media, “Please remember to only dial 911 in case of emergencies. Please prepare for potential aftershocks.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also stated promptly, “The Los Angeles Fire Department has entered ‘earthquake response mode’ and has initiated routine inspections of the city to assess damages.” This means that all 106 neighborhood fire stations of the Los Angeles Fire Department will be conducting surveys.
Due to the proximity of the epicenter to the densely populated Chinese community in the San Gabriel Valley, nearby Chinese residents expressed strong feelings of the tremors.
Xu Ji, a resident of Arcadia, said, “I still feel startled until now. I was in the backyard tending to the plants when suddenly I felt dizzy, then I saw my wife rushing out of the house, and we both watched the house shaking, it was really scary.”
After the earthquake, people took to social media to check on each other’s safety. Some individuals mentioned experiencing a lingering sensation of dizziness, as if standing on a moving boat, minutes after the earthquake, indicating a prolonged aftershock.
This sudden earthquake is the second significant earthquake in California in half a month. On the evening of August 6th, a 5.2-magnitude earthquake occurred in the northwest of Los Angeles, causing tremors in a large area of Southern California, but similarly, no reports of disaster or damages were reported.