Earthquake Swarm Hits San Diego Region

SAN DIEGO, CA — A series of earthquakes rattled the San Diego region over the last 12 hours, starting with a 4.8 magnitude temblor just before midnight Thursday.

It was quickly followed by three smaller aftershocks, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The earthquakes struck near the U.S.- Mexico border in the Yuma Desert, including a magnitude 3.5 at 7:51 a.m centered 6.9 miles east of Ocotillo. At 7:43 a.m. a magnitude 2.6 quake struck in the same area.

Shortly before that, a magnitude 3.4, struck at 5:12 a.m. It was centered 6.9 miles east of Octillo and southwest of El Centro.

The 4.8 magnitude earthquake that started the swam struck 7.4 miles east of Ocotillo at 11:43 p.m. Thursday. The temblor was about 5.6 miles deep, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The quake reportedly struck on the San Jacinto Fault Zone, second only to the San Andreas in slip rate, according to Temblor.net.

The shaking was felt as far north as Porter Ranch and east into Arizona.

There were no immediate reports of damage in the remote area where the quakes struck.

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Here’s how you can prepare for earthquakes:

1. Secure tall heavy, furniture to the walls
2. Create an family disaster plan including backup means of communicating with one another if cell phone towers are down such as designating an out of state relative to serve as a point of contact, or establishing an emergency family hashtag for communicating
3. Maintain an earthquake survival kit including: a first aid kit, food and water for a week, medications, spare eyeglasses and contact lens solution, copies of ID cards and insurance cards, pet supplies, flashlight, blankets, batteries, solar powered chargers, a whistle, cash, list of important phone numbers, Toiletries, plastic bags, cooking utensils, a wrench to turn off gas and water

HOW TO SURVIVE:
Drop cover and hold on. Doorways are no longer considered a safe place to wait out a quake. Experts advise taking cover under sturdy furniture. Evacuate when it is safe to do so.