The Latest: California towns making repairs after quakes

By Associated Press 08 July 2019, 12:00AM

RIDGECREST, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on a strong earthquake in Southern California (all times local):

12:15 p.m.

Two Southern California desert communities are rushing to make repairs after Friday's magnitude 7.1 earthquake.

Ridgecrest and neighboring Trona were hit hard by the quake, which came a day after a magnitude 6.4 quake in the same Mojave Desert area.

Ridgecrest Police Chief Jed McLaughlin said Sunday that an inspection shows roads are in good shape and the water system is working.

But many in Trona are without water, and crews are still patching up cracked roads in the town of under 2,000 people.

The quakes sparked several house fires, shut off power, snapped gas lines, cracked buildings and flooded some homes when water lines broke. Building damage is still being assessed.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has estimated the damage at more than $100 million and says President Donald Trump has offered federal support.

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12 a.m.

The two major earthquakes that hit Southern California should alert people across the nation of the need to be prepared for the natural disasters, the state's governor said as officials expressed relief that the damages weren't worse.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said Saturday that governments must strengthen alert systems and building codes, and residents should make sure they know how to protect themselves during an earthquake.

Friday's earthquake was the largest one Southern California in nearly 20 years. Officials voiced concerns about the possibility of major aftershocks in the days and months to come.

No fatalities or major injuries were reported after Friday night's 7.1-magnitude earthquake, which jolted an area from Sacramento to Mexico and prompted the evacuation of the Navy's largest single landholding, Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in the Mojave Desert.

By Associated Press 08 July 2019, 12:00AM

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