3.5-magnitude earthquake strikes Compton area, USGS says

John Gregory Image
Friday, October 18, 2019
3.7-magnitude earthquake strikes Compton, USGS says
A 3.7-magnitude earthquake hit the Compton area early Friday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

COMPTON, Calif. (KABC) -- A 3.5-magnitude earthquake hit the Compton area early Friday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The quake centered in Compton hit around 12:20 a.m. and had a depth of 14 miles. According to the USGS, the quake hit 1.5 miles west of East Rancho Dominguez and 2.4 miles south-southwest of Lynwood.

The USGS initially estimated the magnitude at 3.7 but later downgraded that to 3.5.

People felt shaking in Orange County and parts of Los Angeles, including in the San Fernando Valley, East L.A. and Norwalk, the USGS said.

"I was sleeping and then I turned around to look at the closet and I just heard a boom," Long Beach resident Yvette Munoz said. "Then the window just started shaking and I'm just like what the hell, something's going on."

Seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones said the earthquake was "near but not on the Newport-Inglewood fault."

There were no immediate reports the earthquake caused any damage or injuries. A tweet from the Los Angeles Police Department's Communications Division said there had been "no impact at the LAPD Dispatch Centers" following the earthquake.

Hours before the Compton area was hit, a 3.8-magnitude temblor struck near Ridgecrest, which was where two powerful earthquakes rocked the region in July.

The quakes comes as millions of residents statewide participated in the Great California Shakeout earthquake drill on Thursday, the 30th anniversary of the magnitude 6.9 Loma Prieta quake that shook the Bay Area in 1989.

Great California ShakeOut: 10.7 million participate in quake drill

Millions of residents statewide participated in the 12th annual Great California Shakeout earthquake drill on Thursday.

Gov. Gavin Newsom recently unveiled California's MyShake app, which is designed to give people in the state at least a few seconds of warning before the ground starts to shake from a nearby quake.

ABC7 has compiled a list of items that are important to have in your earthquake kit so that you're prepared for "the big one."