200+ earthquakes
There's a whole lot of shaking going on in SoCal. Tropical Storm Debby is still wreaking havoc. And Team USA had a big day on the track.
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Quake shakes SoCal
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake and more than 200 aftershocks rattled Southern Californians starting on Tuesday night and continuing into Wednesday morning. The temblor didn't do much damage, but was enough to set off the state's Earthquake Warning system and leave people wondering: Is a bigger one on the way? The risk is fairly low: About 5% to 10% of all California earthquakes are followed by a larger one within a week, and the probability of a larger quake depends on how much aftershock activity there is, experts say.
What happened? A magnitude 5.2 quake at 9:09 p.m. in Lamont, California, near Bakersfield, was felt as far away as Los Angeles, over 100 miles from the epicenter. 👉 Here's what we know.
Another day of Debby
As Tropical Storm Debby strengthened along the Atlantic coast Wednesday, millions in the Carolinas braced for the system to make a second landfall, further inundating rain-soaked communities and extending widespread flooding through the Mid-Atlantic region. The flash floods Debby caused forced evacuations, overwhelmed drainage systems and breached multiple dams in Georgia. At least five people's deaths have been blamed on the storm.
So much rain: Debby has drenched parts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina in over a foot of rain and could drop up to 50 trillion gallons of rainwater along its path. 🌀 See the latest updates.
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Pedal to the metal in Paris
Americans had a big day in track and field on Wednesday at the Paris Olympics, with Quincy Hall pulling off a stunning comeback to win gold in the men's 400. With a personal best time of 43.40, Hall trailed early but bested Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith with a spectacular straightaway dash just before the finish line.
More action: Katie Moon (women's pole vault) and Kenneth Rooks (men's 3,000 steeplechase) earned silver medals, while Team USA runners including Noah Lyles and Alexis Holmes advanced to their event finals. 🏅 See our highlights from Wednesday in Paris.
Q&A with Caeleb Dressel: Swimming star on his Olympics and Team USA's future
An American who trains in his garage wins Olympic weightlifting bronze.
Shocking disqualification shines light on 'dark side' of women's wrestling.
Dead chickens, biohazard suits and shrugs
The federal scientists in biohazard suits outside a massive ‒ but virtually deserted ‒ chicken farm don't need to say a word to indicate that something is very wrong. Their presence in this rural farming community about 40 miles northeast of Denver signaled the increasing concern across the nation about an outbreak of "Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza" ‒ bird flu.
What's been going on: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has declared a disaster emergency and released $3.5 million in funding for oversight, testing and safety equipment, federal officials have repeatedly briefed reporters, and workers have once again killed millions of chickens to slow the spread. But while state and federal officials react with extreme caution to the virus and its dangerous potential, neighbors seem unconcerned. 🐓 Take a look behind the scenes.
A break from the news
🍦 Got a dollar? You can buy a Frosty.
🐊 Watch: Unbothered alligator goes on a stroll after Debby.
😻 It's International Cat Day! Here are some fabulous feline stories.
Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Say hi: laura@usatoday.com. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: SoCal earthquakes, Tropical Storm Debby, Paris Olympics: Wednesday's news
