A 5.2-magnitude earthquake near San Diego rattled Southern California on Monday morning. At around 10:08 a.m. local time, the earth began shaking near the epicenter of Julian, CA, which is located just over 50 miles from San Diego. In response, local authorities were quick to get out an emergency alert as the tremors wobbled the surrounding area.
Meanwhile, the ripple effects were felt on 97.3 The Fan as The Braden Surprenant Show was in the middle of discussing the Padres’ upcoming series against the Chicago Cubs. The unexpected shaking left Surprenant lost in his words mid-sentence.
“Should be a full crowd tonight, and we’ve heard it multiple times,” Surprenant said as the tremors began. “Yeah, thanks. Wow. This building is swaying. I’ve never gotten an earthquake alert on my phone before. 5.2? Geeze!”
Nevertheless, the broadcast continued without interruption, both on air and via video streaming. Surprenant even joked that the alert he got on his phone before his producer received the alert was a benefit to having an Android over an iPhone.
“I I don’t feel earthquakes a lot, like hardly ever,” explained Surprenant. “I think the only other time I felt an earthquake was actually in this building. It was when the Padres were playing the Dodgers in LA, and you could see it on TV. Then all of a sudden, we felt it like a couple minutes later just swayed just enough. I was wondering is that get a phone call right now and then all of a sudden, bang, building moved.”
According to the USGS, the earthquake had the intensity of IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale – strong enough to wobble cars and rattle windows, with a sensation like a “heavy truck hitting building.” For Surprenant, who remained calm through the matter, it was ultimately an opportunity to use the earth-moving event to highlight just how important this early season series was for the Padres.
“This series is so big that it’s moving the earth in California,” said Surprenant. “That’s how big this series is, between the Padres and the Cubs. Huge series. It is earth moving. That’s how much of the big series this is between San Diego and Chicago.”
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