Quakes Alert Californians to be Ready for ‘Big One’

Quakes Alert Californians to be Ready for ‘Big One’
A visitor takes a photo of a crack on the ground following recent earthquakes outside of Ridgecrest, Calif. on July 7, 2019. Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo
|Updated:

RIDGECREST, Calif.—Shaken residents are cleaning up from two of the biggest earthquakes to rattle California in decades as scientists warn that both should serve as a wake-up call to be ready when the long-dreaded “Big One” strikes.

California is spending more than $16 million to install thousands of quake-detecting sensors statewide that officials say will give utilities and trains precious seconds to shut down before the shaking starts.