How Ridgecrest Withstood 5 Years of Historic Earthquakes

RIDGECREST, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — Five years ago, on July 4, Southern California was struck by one of the largest earthquakes in the past two decades.

From the Las Vegas desert to Los Angeles, thousands of people felt the tremors of a 6.4-magnitude earthquake that struck the country shortly after 10:30 a.m.

The desert community of Ridgecrest was one of the communities hit hardest.

Current Mayor Eric Bruin recalls the first quake, saying, “I went from the initial shock of the earthquake, of shock and horror, to now the fear factor because the next one was bigger… Was the next one going to be worse?”

A little over 24 hours later, at just after 8:15 p.m., a 7.1-magnitude earthquake appeared on the horizon, and it was even stronger.

People prepared for the possibility of an earthquake as they had no idea how long the tremors would last.

Over the past two days, several houses have been on fire, a road has been split, and dozens of homes have been piled with debris.

It led to a remarkable sight that Bruin said he will never forget, “It was strange to drive through the streets and see little camps, and that was in the early days.”

No injuries were reported in Ridgecrest, just some minor injuries.

“I see now, years after breaking up with that, that we got over that fear a long time ago and still have some scars around us,” Bruin said.

Some of the earthquake's aftermath still remains in the Trousdale Estates in Ridgecrest. Many of the mobile homes still have red signs. Many of the homes have their windows boarded up, and some are still standing on stilts five years later.

Bruin told us the reason the mobile homes haven't been removed is because enforcement is slow and the pandemic hasn't helped speed up the process.

He also said Ridgecrest didn't have enough damage to qualify for the Federal Emergency Management Program, so many places are stuck in time.

Like Sierra Lanes Bowling Center, a landmark that has been in the community for over 30 years.

It has been closed due to damage to the building. It is a scary sight because the building is still standing but no one can use it.

Meanwhile, the Ridgecrest Cinema largely survived the quake. Amanda Akam, then the assistant director, was in the building during the first quake.

“On the first day, things, especially the things behind me at the snack bar, were scattered, dirty, plates were dropped, glass was broken,” Akam said.

To give the crew time to clean the building, the cinema was closed the next day. It was a decision that may have saved many lives, as part of the building's roof collapsed during the 7.1-magnitude earthquake.

Akam said the incident destroyed one of the theaters in the building, and she is glad no one was there to watch a movie or things would have been worse.

People still go to the movies to watch blockbusters, but the remnants of earthquakes remain.

The roof has since been rebuilt, but the affected theatre remains closed.

Ridgecrest has been able to recover in other areas and you'll never guess what the city has been through.

“Now we stand back and look at this five years later and see how much we've been able to accomplish,” Bruin said.

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