Life is tough in Trona — and a pair of quakes just made it tougher

Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (CA)

Jul. 7--TRONA -- California's biggest earthquake in two decades has made one of the most precarious communities in the state even more so.

Even before the July 4 6.4 earthquake and Friday's 7.1 quake, the former company town of Trona was a ghost town, with vacant homes outnumbering occupied ones on many streets. With a population of less than 2,000, it's dwarfed by nearby Ridgecrest, with its modest population of 29,000, just over the Kern County line.

"People are trying to get out of town, because they think another quake's coming," said resident Jerry Johnson.

The unincorporated community was cut off from the outside world on Friday, as Trona Road, the main artery to Ridgecrest 20 miles away, buckled and split during Friday's earthquake. The road was reopened on Saturday, although with a large asphalt ridge now patching the broken road.

But water remained off in Trona, and the Ridgecrest Police Department was soliciting donations of bottled water to truck in.

"You need some water, ma'am?"

Joe Pattison, of Upland, opened his pick-up truck in the earthquake-buckled parking lot of Trona's Family Dollar, pulling out a case of bottled water for a local woman who declined to be interviewed.

"Just a guy who comes up here a lot on business," Pattison shrugged, driving off to hand out more water.

Residents picked up water at Trona High and San Bernardino County Fire Station 57, both on Trona Road. The high school, a focal point for the community, with its famous all-dirt football field -- possibly the only one in the United States -- sustained some damage, although the full extent of it was not yet known on Saturday.

Chimneys had toppled over on houses, crashing through at least one roof. Even one of the chimneys at the Searles Valley Minerals Trona facility, which looms over the town and provides many of its jobs, had partially crumbled.

"My house is leaning," said Casey Hudgins. "It's not liveable."

Thursday's quake had scattered her family's belongings. Friday's quake had split her kitchen's concrete floor and left her home tilted over.

"I talked to my landlord," she said. "He said insurance will be out on Monday."

In the meantime, they've moved into a neighboring house.

"Most of our stuff is OK," Hudgins said. "My kids are fine, my husband's fine. That's what's important."

Even Trona's dead were impacted by the two large earthquakes. At the Searles Valley Cemetary, vases and even tombstones were toppled by the earthquakes and a few graves caved in.

Johnson said he thinks Trona will survive the quakes.

"I think (the population) is stable for now," he said, waiting to get water at the fire station. "I think it's a good town for kids."

Trona Unified, which had an enrollment of 576 students in the 1996-97 school year, was down to 270 students between Trona Elementary and Trona High, in the 2016-17 school year.

Johnson has no intention of leaving Trona.

"I love it here," he said. "I've been here 20 years. I bought my house at a tax sale. I got it for $3,200."

He went on to pick up another nine properties, all at unthinkably low prices for most of Southern California.

Hudgins is staying, too.

"People say it's quiet. It's what you make of it," she said.

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