Small earthquake rattles Isleton and prompts phone alerts in Lodi

Oct. 19—Things were shaking in Isleton Wednesday morning when a small earthquake rolled through the small river town at about 9:30 a.m.

The United States Geological Survey reported the temblor was a magnitude 4.2 centered about 2.5 miles southwest of Isleton, which is located 22 miles west of Lodi. There were scattered reports of light shaking in Lodi, but there were no reports of damage in the area.

Bob de Groot, a spokesman for the USGS, said the quake was centered on Brannan Island and ran through the Midland Fault at a depth of 6.7 miles.

"It was pretty strong," Isleton City Manager Charles Bergson said. "We hit our doorways when it happened. It was kind of rolling, though. It wasn't a very big shake, but there was a big one initially, followed by a small one."

Bergson said no damage was reported at city hall, but staff would be surveying the rest of the community throughout the day.

Kandace Korth, co-owner of Korth's Pirate Marina on West Brannan Island Road, said the quake felt moderate, but was glad it was over.

"I wouldn't call it large," she said. "I've been next to large earthquakes. There was no damage here, and nothing on the walls shook."

Mandy Elder, manager of the Bank of Stockton's Isleton branch, had a similar description.

"Oh yeah, we felt it," she said. "I thought somebody hit the building with a car. We didn't have any damage though. I checked all around the building, inside and out."

The Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services says were no reports of damage in the area, but officials are working to assess levees in the area.

Matt Robinson, a spokesman for Sacramento County OES, said road crews doing general work in the area have not seen any damage, and that OES was working with a patchwork of reclamation districts to check the levees that shake through the area.

Chelsea Davis, 22, was working the snack bar at the B & W Resort when she felt the quake.

"I've never felt anything like that before," she said. "Usually, whenever an earthquake has hit we're in the outer part of it.

"I feel like this was the first earthquake I've ever experienced like this."

Davis said there was no apparent damage, although some fliers tacked to the wall fluttered to the floor.

"We're in an older building so it was shaking super crazy," she said.

Stacy Wallace, the principal at Isleton Elementary School, said the quake triggered a warning for the school's 210 students to take cover, and then evacuate.

"We had school in session," Wallace said. "It wasn't very long, it was a very short earthquake.

"As soon as we heard we got on the loudspeaker and said to stop, drop and cover, and then we had the kids evacuate as soon as it was done. We checked the building to make sure it was safe and as soon as we were sure we had them come back in."

The temblor occurred one day before the Great California Shakeout, part of an international event where millions of people practice earthquake safety drills.

It was also one day after the 34th anniversary of the 6.9-magnitude Loma Prieta earthquake that was centered about 10 miles northeast of Santa Cruz, and struck at 5:04 p.m. on Oct. 17, 1989, killing 63 and injuring 3,757 throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

Sacramento Bee reporter Sam Stanton contributed to this story.