Great Earthquakes In Diverse Places
Strong 5.1 earthquake hits California border area
May 18, 2010 | 5:57 pm
An earthquake estimated at magnitude 5.1 struck the California-Mexico
border Tuesday afternoon, apparently another sharp aftershock from the
7.2 Mexicali temblor last month.
The new quake was reported at 5:38 p.m. 19 miles southwest of Calexico
in Imperial County. There were no immediate reports of injuries or
damage, but the quake was felt across the border region.
The April 4 earthquake killed two people in Mexicali and caused
significant damage there. But Calexico in Imperial County was also
hard-hit. It caused at least $91 million in damage in California alone.
President Obama on Friday signed a federal disaster declaration for the
Calexico area.
The move makes areas with quake damage eligible for federal funding,
including government agencies and nonprofit groups.
[Updated, 6:05 p.m.: Hundreds of people reported feeling the quake to
the U.S. Geological Service. Many of the reports came from Imperial and
San Diego counties, but residents in Irvine, Long Beach, Los Angeles,
Corona and other areas also reported shaking.
A spokeswoman for the Imperial County Sheriff's Department told the
Associated Press that the temblor was felt but there were no reports of
damage.]