Southern California experienced a dual impact from Mother Nature on Sunday, as an earthquake in Ventura County set off widespread tremors, coinciding with the region's encounter with its first tropical storm in decades.
The seismic event, registering a magnitude of 5.1 and occurring at 2:41 p.m., startled residents already bracing for the remnants of Hurricane Hilary. The latter had brought hours of steady rain, an unexpected occurrence during the region's typically dry month. After the initial quake, several aftershocks with a magnitude of 3.0 or higher followed suit.
The epicenter of the earthquake lay about four miles southeast of Ojai, approximately 80 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Reports of shaking emerged from various locales including Ventura, Camarillo, Oxnard, Newbury Park, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Santa Barbara, parts of LA's San Fernando Valley, Malibu, Porter Ranch, Manhattan Beach, and other areas.
Tres Hermanas restaurant in Ojai managed to capture the unsettling sound and images of the shaking through a security camera video. Situated on the outskirts of Los Padres National Forest, Ojai is a picturesque small community positioned about 12 miles north of Ventura. The community boasts a lively downtown area with art galleries, shops, and bars.
Early reports did not indicate significant damage. The Ventura County Sheriff's Department conducted an aerial assessment of Lake Casitas Dam, Matilija Dam, and the city of Ojai, detecting no signs of damage.
In response, the Los Angeles city fire department initiated its Earthquake Operation mode, deploying all 106 neighborhood fire stations to evaluate potential damage.
Seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones noted the unique location of the earthquake, stating, "This location is interesting to have it there. This is the first time we've had a magnitude-5 earthquake in this precise location since 1932, even within the Ventura basin." A magnitude-5.1 earthquake had also been reported west of the recent quake in 1941, Jones added. Moreover, certain aftershocks of the 1994 Northridge Earthquake were positioned east of this current location.
Jones predicted the occurrence of more aftershocks in the upcoming days.
The hashtag #hurriquake rapidly gained traction on social media platforms, reflecting the convergence of the earthquake and the rare tropical storm.
The earthquake coincided with a noteworthy tropical storm's arrival, marking the first such event in decades to hit the Los Angeles area. A tropical storm warning, a first for Southern California, and a flash flood warning, encompassing most of Los Angeles County, were issued in anticipation of ongoing rain into Sunday night.
Not since September 25, 1939, when a system lost its hurricane classification just before making landfall in Long Beach, has Southern California experienced a tropical storm. And The repercussions of that event were profound.
Millions of Southern California residents received consecutive emergency alerts on their phones, the initial one warning of a flash flood, followed by a second alert about the Ventura County earthquake.
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