Shockwaves rattle US border after earthquake hits Mexico
Source: Agencies |
April 6, 2010, Tuesday
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AFTERSHOCKS rattled the southwest Mexico-United States border yesterday morning in the aftermath of a major earthquake that killed two people, blacked out cities and forced the evacuation of hospitals and nursing homes.
Sunday's magnitude-7.2 quake, centered just south of the US border near Mexicali, was one of the strongest earthquakes to hit the region in decades.
The human toll was minimal in large part because the energy from the quake moved northwest of Mexicali toward a less populated area, said Jessica Sigala, a geophysicist from the US Geological Survey.
"We were just kind of lucky that the energy went the other way," Sigala said. "With every earthquake, the earth starts moving a certain direction. It started south of Mexicali and the rupture moved northwest."
Sunday afternoon's earthquake hit hardest in Mexicali, a bustling commerce center along Mexico's border with California, where one man was killed when his home collapsed and another died when he ran into the street in panic and was hit by a car.
Across the border in Calexico, police patrolled streets littered with shattered glass yesterday, and a downtown area was closed because of damage.
At least 100 people were injured in Mexicali, most of them struck by falling objects. Power was out in virtually the entire city.
All 300 patients were evacuated from the Mexicali General Hospital because of structural damage to the building, which was also without electricity and water. Some patients were taken to private clinics but others were in tents. It was unclear how long the emergency generators powering the private clinics could last.
The most critical patients were being transported to hospitals in Tijuana and the coastal town of Ensenada.
In Calexico, California, a city of 27,000, the city council declared a state of emergency.
Police said most of the damage occurred downtown, where buildings constructed in the 1930s and 40s were not retrofitted for an earthquake of this magnitude.
Strong shaking was reported across much of Southern California. The earthquake rattled buildings on the west side of Los Angeles and in the San Fernando Valley.
In San Diego, there were reports of shattered windows, broken pipes and water main breaks in private buildings, but no reports of injuries.
In Tijuana, the quake caused buildings to sway and knocked out power in some areas.
The main quake was even felt hundreds of miles away in Phoenix, Arizona.
Sunday's magnitude-7.2 quake, centered just south of the US border near Mexicali, was one of the strongest earthquakes to hit the region in decades.
The human toll was minimal in large part because the energy from the quake moved northwest of Mexicali toward a less populated area, said Jessica Sigala, a geophysicist from the US Geological Survey.
"We were just kind of lucky that the energy went the other way," Sigala said. "With every earthquake, the earth starts moving a certain direction. It started south of Mexicali and the rupture moved northwest."
Sunday afternoon's earthquake hit hardest in Mexicali, a bustling commerce center along Mexico's border with California, where one man was killed when his home collapsed and another died when he ran into the street in panic and was hit by a car.
Across the border in Calexico, police patrolled streets littered with shattered glass yesterday, and a downtown area was closed because of damage.
At least 100 people were injured in Mexicali, most of them struck by falling objects. Power was out in virtually the entire city.
All 300 patients were evacuated from the Mexicali General Hospital because of structural damage to the building, which was also without electricity and water. Some patients were taken to private clinics but others were in tents. It was unclear how long the emergency generators powering the private clinics could last.
The most critical patients were being transported to hospitals in Tijuana and the coastal town of Ensenada.
In Calexico, California, a city of 27,000, the city council declared a state of emergency.
Police said most of the damage occurred downtown, where buildings constructed in the 1930s and 40s were not retrofitted for an earthquake of this magnitude.
Strong shaking was reported across much of Southern California. The earthquake rattled buildings on the west side of Los Angeles and in the San Fernando Valley.
In San Diego, there were reports of shattered windows, broken pipes and water main breaks in private buildings, but no reports of injuries.
In Tijuana, the quake caused buildings to sway and knocked out power in some areas.
The main quake was even felt hundreds of miles away in Phoenix, Arizona.
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