As aftershocks continue to spook folks in Greater La Habra–a magnitude 2.8 shaker centered a mile south of the city woke some folks up at 6:02 this morning–the U.S. Geological Survey is warning Southern Californians about a fake alert that went out on the agency's letterhead about a Big One coming.
“USGS had no part in this letter or any alleged alert,” responds the agency. “USGS does not predict earthquakes.”
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5.1 Earthquake Hits OC, Just After 3.6 Shaker; Both Centered Near La Habra
Here is the phony message spreading on the Interwebs:
And here is the full USGS response on the agency's Facebook page:
USGS is aware of a letter circulating on the Internet that uses our logo and warns of an impending sizable earthquake in Southern California. USGS had no part in this letter or any alleged alert. USGS does not predict earthquakes. USGS distributes reliable and timely scientific information on earthquakes and makes it all available to the public. The message of being prepared is always valuable.
The small aftershock this morning prompted some to shake the sleep out of their eyes and let the world know via Twitter, including Rocio Ferg of La Habra:
There have now been more than 100 aftershocks to Friday night's 5.1 quake. Here are the latest details on closures as of Monday afternoon:
Quake Damage to Keep School Building Closed for More Than a Week; Aftershocks Surpass 60
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OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.