No Pinoys hurt in second Southern California quake —Los Angeles consul

No Filipino was hurt in the magnitude-7.1 earthquake that jolted Southern California on Friday night (US time), the consul general of the Philippines in Los Angeles said on Sunday.

Los Angeles Consul General Adelio Angelito Cruz said in an interview on Dobol B sa News TV they received no reports from Filipinos in the area asking for assistance during the aftermath of the earthquake.

"We have been reaching out through the different social media sites, Twitter, Facebook, 'yung website ng consulate. Binigay namin ang aming hotline, 'yung emergency phone number namin. Awa ng Diyos, wala namang tumatawag," he said.

"May natatanggap akong text messages ng ating mga kababayan mula sa iba't ibang lugar sa Southern California na nagsasabing okay naman sila," he added.

Cruz said there are more than 800,000 Filipinos in the Southern California area, with around 400 in Ridgecrest City, the closest area to the center of the quake.

Nevertheless, there are no Filipinos that needed to be evacuated, Cruz said.

Cruz said the two consecutive strong quakes may serve as a warning for all California residents to be more vigilant especially in times of calamities.

"Ang nagiging kagandahan ng nangyaring ito ay naging mas vigilant ang ating mga kababayan dahil sa nakaraang 20 taon ay ngayon lang nagkaroon ng ganitong klaseng lindol," he said.

"It's a wake-up call na rin para sa kanila na maging alerto at maghanda kung sakaling dumating 'yung malaking lindol na sinasabi ng karamihan ay matagal nang dapat nangyari," he added.

The Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles is ready to provide assistance to Filipinos who may be needing assistance, Cruz said.

On Thursday (US time), a 6.4-magnitude quake also struck Southern California, the largest in the area since 1994. —Erwin Colcol/KG, GMA News