A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck the Bay Area today at 8:04 p.m. tonight. The earthquakes epicenter was about fives miles north of San Jose’s Alum Rock according to US Geological Survey Earthquakes Hazards Program. So far, three aftershocks have occurred between 8:12 and 8:13, going from magnitudes 1.4 at 8:12:23, 1.3 at 8:12:48, and 1.5 at 8:12:55. The earthquake has been felt from as far away as the Santa Cruz Mountains to Stockton.

Tremors from this earthquake were felt in Palo Alto, bringing with it a warning of the need to be prepared for such events.

Many Paly students felt the tremor.

Tamar Ben-Shachar, a junior at Palo Alto High School was one such student.

“It caught me by surprise. I was doing my homework, and I so I ran to the doorframe. My little siblings screamed because they had never felt an earthquake before,” Ben-Shachar said.

According to Barbara Cimino, manager of the Office of Emergency Services for Palo Alto, there are currently no reports of damages or injuries, and they are advising people to contact 911 only if there are problems.

Sophomore Abby LaPier was at Policy Debate in Room 220 at Paly when the earthquake occurred.

“No one freaked out. It was very calm. We just looked at each other, and I suggested we duck and cover.”

Most Paly students were at home tonight when the earthquake occurred, however, there were still many students out for different activities at both Paly and Gunn.

“I was sitting at the computer and my phone vibrated at the same time,” junior Noa Palmon said. “And then I realized the phone stopped vibrating but the house didn’t.”

Part of Palo Alto’s phone lines are down since the earthquake, however, most cell phone coverage is still working.

Some Paly students remain concerned about future earthquakes.

Herim Ahn, a Paly senior, said, “This was my first earthquake. I am still a bit shaky about the thought of an aftermath. My family doesn’t have a plan for if anything like this happens again.”

Mariko Baba, a Paly junior, and co-chair of the Youth and Disaster program at the Palo Alto Area Red Cross Chapter said, “I think that some people think that they are prepared for earthquakes but I don’t think that people know about what they should do after an earthquake.”

“I’d like to remind folks to have emergency plans and disaster kits,” Cimino said.

Tonight’s quake is the strongest earthquake reported in Northern California since the Loma Prieta quake of 1989. That quake measured 6.9 to 7 on the Richter scale, and caused severe damage throughout California.

For more information about preparing for disasters, visit the American Red Cross website, at http://www.redcross.org/index.html