When the shaking started, I was on my way to my son’s school in southern Cali for an 8 a.m. appointment. My car began moving in a very strange way, and it wasn’t until we saw utility poles swaying that we realized an earthquake was happening.
When I arrived at the school, the appointment had been cancelled because they were busy assessing damage. On the drive back home to southwestern Cali, we encountered areas without power and traffic lights that weren’t working.
An hour after the quake, many people were still being evacuated from their buildings, unable to re-enter because of the damage.
Some of the damage was concentrated in the area near the bullring (Plaza de Toros), where buildings have collapsed facades and cracks and one building has completely collapsed.
At my home, books fell off the shelves and drawers slid open. There is a large crack in my apartment block, and many roof tiles are on the verge of falling.
I have received reports from acquaintances whose apartment is no longer habitable due to cracks and the risk of imminent collapse. Reports keep coming in from people across the city: commercial buildings that have collapsed and street corners in southern Cali that have been devastated.
It is usually very hot in Cali, but today is exceptionally hot.
At 7 a.m. there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky, and it has remained largely clear since then. Right now, the temperature is 33°C (91°F), with a “feels-like” temperature of 34°C (93°F).
