4.9-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Coachella Valley.
A magnitude-4.9 earthquake struck about 12 miles North East of Indio on Monday, Jan. 19, at 5:56 p.m., causing strong shaking across the Coachella Valley, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
The earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 1.8 miles and was followed by at least 17 aftershocks ranging from magnitude 2.9 to 3.7 over the next several hours, with additional tremors into Tuesday morning.
Magnitude is measured logarithmically, meaning a 4.9 earthquake releases significantly more energy than lower-magnitude aftershocks. Each whole number increase represents roughly a tenfold rise in amplitude, explaining why Monday’s initial tremor was felt strongly. Residents were reminded to stay alert as aftershocks continued.
Reports from this earthquake
Residents from surrounding areas, including Coachella, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage , La Quinta, Twentynine Palms, Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Yucca Valley, Palm Springs, Banning, Valle Vista, East Hemet, San Jacinto and Big Bear City were the cities that felt the shaking.
A homeowner in Murrieta, CA states:
“Strong unusual earthquake for this area. Sudden shaking and creaking of home going in all directions. Aftershock felt very acqueous.”
Another homeowner in Palm Desert, CA states:
“Sounded like a huge gust of wind and then the floor shook heavy swaying but nothing fell off shelves but I needed to hold on to the fridge handle. Felt nauseous.”
A third homeowner in San Diego, CA states:
“Surprisingly in the evening while reclining in my chair at home I felt the shaking and said to myself that was an earthquake that I just felt. I prayed to God and thanked Him for protecting me from harm. Shortly afterwards I called my wife (who is on the east coast where it is cold) to let her know what just happened.”
Protect You and Your Family
- Government-issued alerts for your country or region
- Alerts for imminent threats to safety or life
- Alerts for extreme weather conditions
- AMBER Alerts (America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response)
- Public Safety Alerts
- Additional details provided by the alert originator
Did you know that your homeowner insurance policy does not cover earthquake damage?
Given the risk, now is the time to consider how earthquake insurance will provide the protection you don’t get from your homeowners insurance policy:
- According to a recent three-year data sample, an average of five earthquakes with magnitudes between 5.0 and 6.0 occur yearly in California.
- The probability of an earthquake measuring magnitude 6.7 in the next 30 years is 60% in the Los Angeles area and 72% in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Your home equity continues to grow while the risk of a devastating earthquake increases, too. Are you prepared to lose all of your hard-earned equity in an instant? And if you experience a total loss, can you afford to rebuild? Now (not afterward) is the right time to consider your Earthquake Insurance options.
Why Choose GeoVera?
GeoVera is the premier stand-alone provider of residential earthquake insurance. GeoVera provides innovative insurance solutions in catastrophe-exposed areas and is the longest-tenured provider of residential earthquake insurance.
GeoVera uses a strategic and agile approach to developing impactful and reliable products to keep pace with the rise in natural disasters.
GeoVera has decades of experience managing claims for nature’s worst catastrophes and a financial rating of “A” (Excellent) by A.M. Best Company. We hope you’ll never need our help, but we’re ready if you do. Ask your insurance agent for a quote today.