By Miriam  Raftery

July 4, 2019 (Ridgecrest) – A 6.4 temblor named the #RidgecrestEarthquake struck 125 miles northeast of Los Angeles in Kern County’s Searles Valley this morning shortly after 10:30 a.m.  It was felt as far south as San Diego’s North County and Orange County, where Disneyland has closed rides for safety inspections due to the quake.

Governor Newsom has issued an emergency declaration for Ridgecrest, the city hardest hit with damages.

The quake is the strongest centered in California since a 7.1 quake at the Twenty-Nine Palms military base 20 years ago and the strongest felt in southern California since the 2010 Easter Sunday quake in northern Mexico that rattled San Diego.

Authorities, in a press conference this afternoon, say they were inundated with emergency calls including a home on fire, medical aid calls, gas and water leaks, and stores with merchandise knocked off shelves in Ridgecrest. The Ridgecrest Regional Hospital and several apartment buildings were evacuated, local media outlets report.

The powerful temblor opened up crevasses in roads, knocked down power lines and left some residents without electricity.  Minor injuries from broken glass and falling objects have occurred, according to CNN, Fortunately, no deaths have been reported.