A magnitude 3.1 earthquake shook Oakland and the East Bay Thursday morning, according to preliminary information from the U.S. Geological Survey.
Its epicenter was Berkeley, in the center of the UC Berkeley campus.
The earthquake was recorded at 9:23 a.m., according to the USGS, with a depth of 5.8 miles.
Earthquakes are a good reminder to be prepared. Check out our earthquake readiness page for lots of useful information. Sign up for AC Alert to receive mass emergency notifications via text, email, or phone from the county and local cities. The free MyShake app provides advance notice for large earthquakes. Oakland residents can undergo Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training to support their neighborhoods and the city in the case of a disaster. Through this three-day training (you can also do a hybrid option over a longer period of time), you’ll learn skills like extinguishing small fires, performing search and rescue, and organizing volunteers to act as first responders.
Serendipitously, this quake hit an hour before the international Great ShakeOut drill, scheduled for around 10:20 a.m. Thursday. Nearly 500,000 people were registered to participate in Alameda County.
During the drill, participants are urged to practice dropping to the ground, taking cover by getting under a sturdy desk or table, and holding on until the shaking stops. Those who’ve signed up for MyShake, receive a test drill through the app.
Thursday morning’s quake comes nearly a month after a much stronger 4.3 magnitude quake centered in Berkeley that had force enough to break windows and knock items off shelves.
Did you feel the earthquake? Let the USGS know.
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