Evacuation ordered ahead of possible mud, debris flows in San Bernardino County
A mud, debris flow and two homes could be expected in the San Bernardino foothills in the next 48 hours and that has residents on edge.
A mud, debris flow and two homes could be expected in the San Bernardino foothills in the next 48 hours and that has residents on edge.
Mud, dust and dirt from a mudslide swept into a San Bernardino County home Wednesday destroyed everything except the walls and an electrical panel. It was the second time an earthquake struck a residential area in the past month, prompting evacuation orders Thursday and forcing residents to flee in droves Thursday, a day after the first earthquake rocked the region.
The National Weather Service reports two moderate earthquakes had a 4.4 magnitude and a magnitude of 4.7 Tuesday, one just after midnight and the second four hours later. Both hit the San Bernardino area and the larger one was centered about four miles southeast of San Bernardino at a depth of approximately 10 miles.
The area was placed on lockdown for the rest of the night and evacuation orders were issued for residents who lived about 3 miles south of that quake. The earthquake was reported at 4:48 a.m., two hours later than the initial quake, and the NWS said the quake was only a magnitude of 4.4, not the 4.7 magnitude that had rocked the area before.
The bigger quake, about 16 miles northeast of the area, was centered at a depth of nearly 60 miles but had a magnitude of 4.7, according to the NWS.
“We were not under a tsunami warning so we were able to get ourselves and our livestock out,” said David Stumpf, who lives near the quake. “As far as other structures in the area that did not make it, we’re not aware of any, but we don’t know.”
The area was declared a “no entry zone” and residents could not travel to higher ground.
A mudslide wiped out the San Bernardino County home in which a family was living before a second temblor struck Wednesday morning.
Two homes and a barn were swept away as mud and boulders crashed through the town of San Bernardino and into homes in nearby Alpine.