Earthquake of 6.4 magnitude hits Ridgecrest, California, reports CEA

Ridgecrest, in Kern County, California, has been hit by a 6.4 magnitude earthquake, prompting the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) to state that around 2,000 policyholders in the affected area who have seen damage to their property as a result “would be considered well within CEA’s claim-paying capacity for covered claims”.

CEA said this earthquake was the “strongest” to strike the region since the 1999 Hector Mine earthquake, with shaking from the main shock and aftershocks felt throughout Southern California.

Glenn Pomeroy, chief executive of the CEA, said: “This event is an important reminder that all of California is earthquake country. Earthquakes can happen at any time - a magnitude 5.6 earthquake occurred on our northern coast just a couple of weeks ago - and we need to be prepared.”

He urged Californian residents to take other steps to prepare to survive and recover from damaging earthquakes by retrofitting homes built before 1980 and the advent of modern building codes, as well as considering earthquake insurance.

He said: “If this earthquake had occurred under a densely populated area, it is likely that California would be looking at many more injuries and at damages in the billions of dollars.”

The authority said it has more than $17 billion in claim-paying capacity, which is enough to cover claims from a reoccurrence of the 1906 San Francisco, 1989 Loma Prieta or 1994 Northridge earthquake.

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