Yesterday’s quake strikes 10 years after the 5.7 temblor that rocked same area
By Debra Moore
Yesterday’s 5.5 earthquake centered near Chester brought back memories of a quake that occurred in the same area roughly 10 years ago. After searching the archives, we discovered that it had occurred on Thursday, May 23, 2013, and was a 5.7 magnitude quake. It also was followed by a strong aftershock, such as was experienced this morning at 3:18 a.m.
That 5.7 magnitude earthquake, centered near Canyon Dam, struck at 8:47 p.m. on Thursday, May 23, 2013. The temblor was followed by more than 350 aftershocks, including a 4.9 jolt at 1:10 a.m. Friday. It was the largest earthquake to hit the area in nearly 40 years. No injuries were reported, but the quake caused power outages, minor structural damage, rockslides and items to fall off shelves.
Damage caused by that quake was estimated to be over $870,000 a few days after the quake. Most of the damage was to Lake Almanor area homes — with broken or toppled chimneys being the most common issues. Broken water lines caused flooding and water damage. At least one structure shifted off of its foundation.
The Lake Almanor Mutual Water Co. sustained a water main rupture that emptied a storage tank. Residents on the Lake Almanor Peninsula, who relied on that water system were asked to boil their water after the quake.Â
About 660 customers lost power on the southwestern edge of Lake Almanor for a brief time. The outage had been caused by swinging power lines that touched. In the wake of the quake, PG&E continually checked the dam and its infrastructure.  Â
As with yesterday’s quake, there were some rockslides that were quickly cleared.
