Rattled nerves, minor damage from SoCal quake

SOUTHERN California appeared to have avoided the worst on Saturday after it was rocked by a second powerful earthquake in as many days -- a 7.1 magnitude tremor that revived fears of the socalled Big One the region has feared for decades.

No fatalities or serious injuries have been reported from this second quake, the largest in Southern California in more than two decades. It hit Friday night in a remote and sparsely populated area around 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast

of Los Angeles, where it was also felt.

But the earth’s mighty twitch shook buildings, damaged roads and rattled people still jittery from a 6.4-magnitude earthquake in the same region on Thursday.

“We’ve never seen anything like this, this is the biggest and most impactful quake that I’ve ever experienced,” said Victor Abdullatif, owner of a small supermarket in the Mojave desert town of Ridgecrest where the quake left wine bottles and other merchandise smashed on the floor in huge piles.

Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, a remote testing ground for military hardware, wrote on Facebook that due to the quake it was “not mission capable until further notice.”

An official at China Lake had told AFP after Thursday’s temblor that there was “substantial damage” to their facilities, including fires, water leaks and spills of hazardous materials.

As the second big quake hit on Friday, two news presenters live on Los Angeles TV station KCBS looked distraught and gazed up repeatedly to see if anything was falling.