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Ridgecrest: A Week After The Earthquake, Nerves Still Frayed

RIDGECREST (CBSLA) — Ridgecrest got an early wake-up call Friday — a 4.9 aftershock.

It came on the one-week anniversary of the 7.1 quake that shook up the Southland, the epicenter near Ridgecrest. It's eight days since the region had a 6.4 magnitude quake. The one-two punch had everyone on edge.

There have been thousands of aftershocks ever since. Today's 4.9 at 6:11 a.m. was one of the largest in days.

CBS2/KCAL9's Greg Mills reported from a Ridgecrest trailer park and spoke to people who say they are quite over the shaking going on. And on.

For residents who are left behind, many of the trailers have been red-tagged.

This morning, some thought they were getting a repeat of last week.

"It was a good jolt, it started smooth and then, and then it was gone," says Kevin James.

His daughter was asked if it was as big as the 7.1.

"It could've been. I don't know, for sure," said Krystal James.

"When we woke up, everything was kind of shaking. I thought it was a lot stronger than they said it was," says Selene Martinez.

An Albertsons In Ridgecrest Suffered Damage From M7.1 Quake
(CBSLA)

They're all starting to feel more intense than they actually are. The people of Ridgecrest and Trona have felt thousands of aftershocks and many of them larger than 3.0.

"Everybody's been terrified. Nobody can really sleep. We've been sleeping in the living room in case we need to run out," says Pedro Meza.

For Pedro's mother, Vicky Meza, the 4.9 was another aftershock too many.

"She got frightened," says son, Randy. "Yeah she wanted to run outside."

The Meza home is already damaged from last week's quakes — the ceiling, the facia crinkled,  the sidewalks buckled. Across the street, a red-tagged home.

The people who lived in that home had to move out. They told their neighbors, 'That's it' and they were leaving Ridgecrest.

"I just want it to end already. Like this is very stressful. It's making a lot of people freak out," says Randy.

The desert cities are trying to recover. A lot of people have been filling out forms at the Red Cross Center with local, state and federal agencies here to help.

Since the powerful quakes hit, some people have refused to sleep in doors.

"It was very scary. I've never been so shaken in my whole life. Ever in my life," one woman said.

"It was terrible," said another witness. "It made me shake. I'm still shaking."

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