reporter: a 6.2 earthquake which we had on thursday is a big earthquake. and really what we were hearing a lot today, as officials were surveying damage was that a quake that powerful could have caused more damage, certainly, in an area that is more densely palm slated. and there was just this overwhelming feeling twli ing t there was some damage, while there was cracks in the road, largely, the area had fared very well. the other thing that came to light, natalie, is the fact that of course people were preparing for the big one. we were hearing within the last 24 hours from local officials who say they constantly work on the emergency plans that are in place for these type of situations but thursday s quake showed how that plan works. and certainly, this latest one, the 7.1 will be another test of that plan.
reporte reporter: i m here inside this convenient store in richmond. see what happened, stuff knocked down everywhere. bottles off the shelves broken here. the owner anton says in the two days they ve been rocked by the quake inside the store. he believes they have had more than $100,000 worth of damage. you can see things off shelves. glass and bottles everywhere. it s going to be a long time cleaning up. but to the credit of the people in the store, they stayed open. we ve seen a steady stream of people coming in to grab whatever it is they need, even water. people often look out for one another. employees at an albertson s supermarket were doing just that right after the earthquake. everybody okay? did you get hurt?
damage across much of southern california, as karen just said. we ll have more about it, right after this. discover elvive protein recharge leave-in conditioner. our heat protecting formula, leaves hair 15-times stronger. in just 1 use elvive revives damaged hair. hdo you like stranger things? tsure you do. in just 1 use that s why netflix is on us. and here s another reason to join. bring in your discount, and we ll match it. that s right. t-mobile will match your discount.
caused by this quake, well, officials still have to get their hands around that when the someone comes up. they re operating largely in the dark with large swaths of power out. we know the key concern tonight is gas leaks and fire and also looking for damaged structures. no reports, flattened structures, but certainly they re seeing cracks in the road and anything that come up overnight. really, it s going to take daylight to see what exactly the damage is here, natalie. right. and we know the red cross is is there helping out, helping people with water. but, you know with these power outages, alex, it makes you think this is a very, very hot state temperaturewise. so the people that don t have a place to go are having to also deal with the temperatures. reporter: yeah, it is extremely hot. we were out here all day today, you know, during the height of
scary. even for people who prepare for earthquakes in this part of the country. even for people who have experienced earthquakes before. there was power for this. it was prolonged and it was frightening for all who experienced. yes, i think you re exactly right this will be a sleeps night for many. there are about 130 people who have gone to shelters to spend the evening. we heard the mayor say that she expects many people will be sleeping outside of their homes, in the yards. she s urging caution for all of the cars out on the roads looking around and responding to emergencies. she wants everyone to be aware of the fact that there s so many people afraid to be back in their homes that they re choosing to be outside tonight. for many, that may be the safest choice. we are still expecting many more aftershocks. there have been dozens tonight and hundreds and hundreds since the first quake hit. there are reasons for people to take precaution. as for the immediate damage