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No emergency? Don't call 911 during an earthquake

Sacramento, Stockton and Modesto have a different phone number for you to call when there is no emergency.

SACRAMENTO, California — The recent 4.3-magnitude earthquake in the Bay Area, 9 miles south of Brentwood, caused concern among communities that felt it. 

An impulse during an earthquake could be to call 911, but if there is not an emergency, people should call their local non-emergency phone number.

When people in western Washington state felt an earthquake they flooded 911 with non-emergency calls and delayed emergency response to actual emergencies.

The cities of Sacramento, Stockton and Modesto have alternate numbers that people should call to report non-emergencies. 

SACRAMENTO: Instead of calling 911 during a non-emergency, people are encouraged to call 311 to ask about shaking or inquire about safety information.

STOCKTON: People living in Stockton can call 209-937-8377 to report a non-emergency

MODESTO: If someone experiences a non-emergency in Modesto, they can call 209-552-2470 to report what is going on.

Another option to find more information is to check the Twitter or Facebook pages of your local fire, police or other official departments.

If you just want to share what you experienced  — like feeling the ground shake, the United States Geological Survey has a website where people can report any tremors they feel.

RELATED: 

WATCH MORE: From the archives: 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake strikes San Francisco

Archived footage from ABC10 back in 1989 shows how events unfolded from the Loma Prieta earthquake. The 6.9 magnitude quake struck on Oct. 17, 1989. Its epicenter was located near Loma Prieta Peak in the Santa Cruz Mountains. In total, 63 people were killed and another 3,757 people were injured.

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