Officials urging residents to have a plan, stay calm in case another quake hits

RIDGECREST, Calif. — The Red Cross and other emergency officials are urging the community to stay calm following a 6.4 magnitude earthquake that rocked Ridgecrest, surrounding Red Cross and nearby areas.

"When the initial shaking starts do not run, just drop, cover and hold on," said Battalion chief Brandon Smith with KCFD.

Cindy Huge with American Red Cross says another important safety tips is preparedness.

"Food, granola bars, tuna maybe a can of tuna with a top that can take off, some crackers, some medication, your pets make sure you think about your pets that you have food for them," she explained.

Officials say to keep hard shoes by your bedside to avoid injuries from glass in case an earthquake strikes while you're sleeping.

Kern County Fire Department urging the community to register online for Ready Kern alert to stay informed.

"If we do receive any notifications of more disaster events or anything like that then we would be notifying the citizens and we utilize Ready Kern," said Smith.

The system alerts the community when there is an emergency via landline, cellphone, and email.

According to the United States Geological Survey their "New Early Warning System" uses instrumentation placed near faults in California to detect early signs of shaking. The system then notifies emergency agencies in the state.

The USGS says they use statistics based off of thousands of earthquakes that have taken place to forecast future quakes.

Their latest forecast showing an 80% chance that a 5.0 magnitude quake will strike within the next week in Ridgecrest and a 20% chance if a 6.0 magnitude or higher quake happening as well in that same area.

State officials including Kern County and LA County Crews are providing assistance in Ridgecrest but urging everyone in Kern County to have a plan.