California was rattled by a huge earthquake yesterday and continues to be affected by scores of aftershocks. The 6.4 earthquake on Thursday centred near Ridgecrest, 150 miles north of Los Angeles. The Independence Day quake was the strongest to hit Southern California in nearly 20 years. The governor of the USA state has declared a state of emergency for the area. This is the latest travel advice.
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has also updated its travel advice to Britons.
“At 10.33am on Thursday 4 July, an earthquake struck southern California,” said the FCO.
“The magnitude 6.4 tremor was centred about 125 miles northeast of Los Angeles in the remote Searles Valley area near where Inyo, San Bernardino and Kern counties meet.
“There have already been a number of aftershocks, and these are likely to continue.
“If you’re in the area, you should follow local media for updates and follow the advice of local authorities.
“Further advice on preparing for and dealing with the effects of an earthquake is available on the Federal Emergency Management website.”
The US government’s automated tsunami detection centre said: “An earthquake has occurred; a tsunami is not expected.”
There is a small chance a larger earthquake could be triggered by the recent quake.
The US Geological Survey said there’s a 20 per cent chance of an earthquake of magnitude 6 or higher occurring in the next week and an 80 per cent chance of a magnitude 5 or higher quake hitting the state, reported CNN.
However, they added: “While it is always possible for large quakes to trigger an even larger quake, most do not.”
“It’s generally not possible to determine whether a given quake will turn out to be a ‘foreshock’ of a larger one.”
The Ready.gov website – recommended by the FCO – flags a technique to use if an earthquake strikes.
It advises: “Practice Drop, Cover, then Hold On with family and coworkers.
“Drop to your hands and knees. Cover your head and neck with your arms.
“Crawl only as far as needed to reach cover from falling materials.
“Hold on to any sturdy furniture until the shaking stops.”
