"We were in fear for our lives," the woman said, noting that she phoned her family at one point to "say my goodbyes."

The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 2.8, the USGS said, and it hit about 2 miles west of Orinda, with a depth of about 4 miles. Multiple residents in Berkeley, Oakland and other East Bay cities reported feeling it, according to the USGS website.

A U.S. team has yet to arrive in Myanmar after last week’s 7.7-magnitude earthquake, while China has already rescued six people and committed $14 million in humanitarian aid.

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake rattled much of Southeast Asia on Friday, flattening skyscrapers and leaving more than 1,000 people dead from Myanmar to Thailand.

Earthquake preparation hinges in large part on the expertise of scientists and engineers in federal agencies who develop earthquake hazard models and building codes.

Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has also rejected calls for a ceasefire to facilitate the delivery of desperately needed relief supplies.

Here’s what to know about the challenges from the natural disaster—compounded by ongoing civil war—and where the country could go from here.