Threat of New Bishop Quake Diminishes
The U.S. Geological Survey Thursday backed off its earlier advisory that a large earthquake may rock the Chalfant Valley area near here in the wake of Monday’s 6.1 magnitude temblor.
“Considering the aftershock sequence is behaving normally, everybody feels the chance of another large quake is diminishing,” said USGS Geophysicist Dave Hill.
Tom Mullins, a spokesman for the California Office of Emergency Services, added: “The threat is clearly diminished. Unless something changes, we are no longer expecting another severe quake in the next couple of days.”
The survey’s advisory, issued Tuesday, was criticized by some residents and merchants in the region who said it was irresponsible and could scare away prospective travelers to the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada in the heart of the summer tourist season.
Monday’s quake damaged nearly 150 homes, breaking windows and triggering landslides in the tourist-oriented mountain community about 240 miles north of Los Angeles.
Ray Schaaf, information officer for a unified command formed by emergency services groups in Inyo County, said that preliminary damage estimates had been set between $2.4 million and $2.7 million.
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