Threats of a tsunami hitting the Southern California region of the US West Coast have just been lifted. On the morning of July 31st (Thursday), multiple earthquakes struck the greater Los Angeles area, with one registering a magnitude of 4.3, causing sudden and intense shaking that left many Chinese residents in panic.
According to information released by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), a 3.0 magnitude earthquake hit the city of Rialto at 8:34 a.m. on Thursday, located about 50 miles east of Los Angeles in San Bernardino County. A stronger 4.3 magnitude earthquake occurred at 9:32 a.m., followed by a 3.1 magnitude aftershock approximately four minutes later.
The earthquake’s epicenter was very close to the densely populated Chinese communities in inland areas such as Ontario, Chino, Riverside, including many Chinese cities in the San Gabriel Valley region which also felt the strong tremors.
A Chinese woman, Ms. Li, who was working in an office in El Monte at the time of the earthquake, said, “I felt as if something heavy had slammed onto the ground, there was a loud bang, and the whole ground shook violently.”
While California experiences over ten thousand earthquakes on average each year, recent tsunami warnings due to earthquakes have heightened tension among residents.
An 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the eastern coast of Russia in the early hours of July 30th local time, triggering tsunamis as high as 4 meters and prompting immediate tsunami warnings along the Pacific coast in multiple locations. Japan, Hawaii, California, and other regions received various levels of tsunami alerts.
Based on the latest forecasts, the tsunami was expected to reach the San Francisco and Los Angeles areas on the West Coast of the US early Wednesday morning. In Northern California, Crescent City was the most affected area with waves reaching up to eight feet on Wednesday morning, fortunately without any reports of casualties or property damage. Tsunami warnings for the Bay Area and Central Coast of California were lifted by noon on Wednesday, with most beaches reopening.
The National Weather Service in the US reminded that although most tsunami alerts on the West Coast have been lifted, dangerous sea currents and water level fluctuations are expected in coastal areas from Wednesday to Thursday morning. Coastal residents are advised to stay vigilant.