When a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck California on Friday night ― one day after another strong quake ― people were quick to reach for their phones.
Photos and video posted to social media show the temblor swaying a stadium scoreboard and home light fixtures alike, knocking items off store shelves, cracking roads and triggering at least one rock slide. Stunning scenes played out in backyards with pools, where water sloshed over the edges.
Spectators inside Dodger Stadium felt the shaking from the stands, which sparked a “brief few minutes of chaos,” according to reporter Samantha-Jo Roth, who was in the upper deck at the time.
“This entire upper deck, it was shaking,” she said in a video posted to Twitter. “It was pretty scary.”
Actor Aaron Wolf, who was watching at the game from another vantage point, recorded video of upper-deck spectators fleeing their seats as players on the field continued as if nothing were happening.
At the same time, New York Knicks and New Orleans Pelicans basketball players were called off the court due to a swaying scoreboard. The game was postponed.
The quake sparked panic at at least one restaurant in Ridgecrest, where Fox News reporter Jeff Paul recorded video of people fleeing.
Meanwhile, Disneyland and Six Flags Magic Mountain shut down rides.
According to 23 ABC News, a local station, a rock slide in the Kern River Canyon required motorists to get out of their cars and move the rubble in order to get through.
Actor Khalil Underwood posted bizarre video showing dozens of bees lying seemingly immobile, “vibrating on the floor and dying,” he said in a tweet. It was not immediately clear why, and HuffPost has reached out to experts for input.
The epicenter of Friday’s quake was sparsely populated, located 11 miles from Ridgecrest, California ― about 150 miles northeast of Los Angeles ― but it was felt in that city and as far away as Las Vegas and Sacramento.
Although no fatalities have been reported, officials say the seismic activity caused minor injuries, some building collapses and fires. Southern California Edison said around 3,000 Ridgecrest customers lost power Friday.
Two smaller quakes followed, and the U.S. Geological Survey reported that the region is still averaging an aftershock per minute. Scientists say the fault that has been causing the quakes appears to be growing.
Friday’s quake was the strongest in around two decades, and about 10 times stronger than the 6.4 magnitude quake that rattled the same area on Thursday.
No fatalities have been reported in either.
But officials are urging caution. Californians have been warned that another, possibly even stronger earthquake is not out of the question.
“I would probably start taking some stuff off the walls if they’re not already down,” Ridgecrest Police Chief Jed McLaughlin told CNN early Saturday. “Make sure you’re not sleeping under something that’s still hung up.”
The Los Angeles Police Department instructed residents through its official Twitter account not to take the threat “lightly.”
“Be prepared. Talk to your loved ones. Have a plan,” the LAPD said.