LOS ANGELES, July 29, 2008
Quake Shakes Southern California
Geological Survey Says 5.4 Magnitude Quake Centered 29 Miles Outside Downtown L.A.
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Quake Strikes Southern Calif.
"CBS News RAW": Californians were jolted by a 30 second earthquake. No immediate injuries or structural damage was reported.
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SoCal Shaken By Quake
"CBS News RAW": An earthquake struck Southern California with its epicenter 29 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. At least ten aftershocks have been confirmed, the largest being a 3.8.
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(AP)
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People wait outside a building in downtown Los Angeles after evacuating following an earthquake on July 29, 2008. Preliminary information from the U.S. Geological Survey estimated the quake at magnitude 5.8, centered 29 miles east-southeast of downtown in San Bernardino County. No immediate damage was reported. The jolt was felt from Los Angeles to San Diego, and slightly in Las Vegas. (AP PHOTO)
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Dozens of people evacuated from a clinic stand across the street, well away from the building, in the Wilshire District west of downtown Los Angeles after an earthquake rolled through Southern California on July 29, 2008. (AP PHOTO)
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People gather outside of buildings in the Wilshire District west of downtown Los Angeles after an earthquake rolled through Southern California on July 29, 2008. (AP PHOTO)
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Ground Shakers
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Strongly felt but considered moderate, the magnitude-5.4 jolt struck at 11:42 a.m. and centered 29 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles near the San Bernardino County city of Chino Hills. It was felt as far east as Las Vegas.
Dozens of aftershocks followed, reports CBS Evening News correspondent Ben Tracy, none with a magnitude greater than 3.8. Nonetheless, one building near the epicenter in San Bernardino County buckled, scattering bricks on the ground below. But even for Southern Californians, who are used to shakers, this one felt like it could have been a lot worse.
By comparison, it was nowhere nearly as powerful as the 1994 Northridge earthquake, which killed more than 70 people, causing billions in damage -- after collapsing buildings and roadways throughout the area.
"The Northridge quake was a 6.7 and this was a 5.4, so it was more than a factor of 10 smaller," said seismologist Kate Hutton of the U.S. Geological Survey office in Pasadena.
Tuesday's quake was smaller, too, Tracy reports, than the 1987 Whittier Narrows quake, which happened very near the epicenter of this quake. But it was large enough for at least 10 million people throughout Southern California who haven't felt something like this in a long time.View a map from The U.S. Geological Survey, showing the epicenter of the quake.
"It shakes you up," said liquor store owner Rick King. "No matter how many times you go through it, it shakes you up."
"And there goes the earthquake - earthquake, earthquake, earthquake!" Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Zine declared as shaking interrupted a council meeting. "The building is rolling."
The magnitude-5.9 Whittier Narrows quake in 1987 was the last big shake centered in the region. That quake heavily damaged older buildings and houses in communities east of Los Angeles.
As strongly as it was felt, Tuesday's quake was far less powerful than the deadly magnitude-6.7 Northridge earthquake that topped bridges and buildings on Jan. 17, 1994. That was the last damaging temblor in Southern California, though not the biggest. A 7.1 quake struck the desert in 1999.
Merchandise toppled from store shelves and bricks fell from walls of old-style buildings, local television stations reported.
The state Office of Emergency Services in Sacramento received scattered reports of minor infrastructure damage, including broken water mains and gas lines. The damage was in the greater Los Angeles area.
"I thank God there have not been any reports of serious injuries or damage to properties," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told a televised press conference. "People understandably are very nervous."
Minor structural damage was reported throughout Los Angeles, along with five minor injuries and people stuck in elevators, said City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, serving as acting mayor. She said there was flooding in one department store.
The California Department of Transportation and California Highway Patrol were assessing freeways to check for damage. Traffic appeared to be flowing easily, however.
"We have no reported damages or cracks to structures," said Caltrans spokeswoman Maria Raptis.
The jolt caused a fire but no injuries at a Southern California Edison electrical substation in La Habra, about 12 miles southwest of the epicenter, spokesman Paul Klein said. Damage there and to other equipment led to some power outages in Chino Hills, Chino, Diamond Bar and Pomona, he said.
Near the epicenter, all the customers of a Chino Hills Starbucks ran outside and bags of coffee beans fell off shelves, said worker Jamie Saleh, 24.
"It was very, very strong. It was rolling and ... there wasn't a pause. it came on really strong and just kept going."
Chino Hills was incorporated in 1991, so much of the construction is newer and built to modern safety standards, said city spokeswoman Denise Cattern. She said there were no reports of harm in the city of 80,000, although cell phone service in the area was disrupted. The biggest employer in town, the school district, is out of session.
"At this point, the biggest impact we can report is getting through on cell phones. ... And a few little rattled nerves," Cattern said.
Buildings swayed in downtown Los Angeles for several seconds.
Workers quickly evacuated some office buildings.
"I'm still shaking. My knees are wobbling. I thought the building might collapse," said Rosana Martinez, 50, of El Monte, an employee of California National Bank in downtown Los Angeles.
"It was dramatic. The whole building moved and it lasted for a while," said Los Angeles County sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore, who was in the sheriff's suburban Monterey Park headquarters east of Los Angeles.
In Orange County, about 2000 detectives were attending gang conference at a Marriott hotel in Anaheim when a violent jolt shook the main conference room.
Mike Willever, who was at the hotel, said, "First we heard the ceiling shaking, then the chandelier started to shake, then there was a sudden movement of the floor."
Chris Watkins, from San Diego, said he previously felt several earthquakes, but "that was one of the worst ones."
Delegates and guests at a cluster of hotels near the Disneyland resort spilled into the streets immediately after the quake.
Disneyland visitor Clint Hendrickson, 32, said he was in the Golden Horseshoe theater watching a show when the temblor hit.
"The ground moved and the chandelier started shaking," he said. "We are from Texas and we thought it was part of the show, until people started yelling, 'Get under the tables."'
©MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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See all 298 CommentsAre you sure this isn''t for the recent L.A. ban on fast food restaurants?? I mean... talk about a crime against Christianity!
God talks to me too and told me He thinks ur a total a$$hole.
Posted by Jelleybeanie
It''s good to see that everyone on this board is alright. Here''s hoping there were no casualties.
Go West Americans! and visit California and see the ocean and feel the sun shining (note: enter at your own risk, Wildfires, Mudslides, Snow, Cold, Rain, & Earthquakes occur unpredictably).
Posted by payasyougo
Oh, puhleeeaazzzz!!!!!! Now, before someone blames God, know that Satan can cause earthquakes as well.
Posted by onodream at 03:08 PM : Jul 29, 2008
Onodream! Please, you know God''s not gonna allow GOP''ers in heaven!
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Posted by McSuicide247 at 03:25 PM
aaaawwww to McBad your McCelly doesn''t McWork, well hope it never comes McBack, McLib
Posted by labettis
DNC''ers kick God out of government and society and you think God''s going to let them into heaven?
Its seems that whenever Los Angeles goes further down the slippery slope of rebellion with sin towards God the more troubles they face? Will they ever learn?
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Posted by denn034 at 03:27 PM
Exactly, the libs and democrats want to destroy god out of school, the mall, the government, everywhere out of our lives and then they got the nerve to think he''s in their favor?
Posted by SusanHelit
Hate to tell you this Susan but there''s the Cascadia Subduction Zone 100 miles off of Seattle''s coast. Last time it went off was 1700. The reason we know about the date is from Japanese histories of the time recording killer tsunamis from the quake. Geologists thaink it slips every 3 - 500 years and would support a Mag. 9.0. Seattle is an earthquake zone!!!
What happened, your buddy McGore couldn''t McStop the McEarthquake ? apparently you libs have the power to change the world, so why didn''t McGore stop the McQuake ?......you want to play name games? game on lib
Wonder if that wacko Sean Penn can swim. Hope not!
Why would they endorse the Sodomite way?
WHAT HAPPEN DID THEY KICK YOU OUT TRYING TO DEFEND TED STEVENS?
Its seems that whenever Los Angeles goes further down the slippery slope of rebellion with sin towards God the more troubles they face? Will they ever learn?
Posted by onodream
Uh, doesn''t the words "in the year of our Lord" appear in the Constitution by George Washington''s signature? Doesn''t words like "the depravity of the human character" appear in the Federalist Papers? God punishes wicked nations in the Bible and you somehow think that God''s still going to let you into heaven after you kick Him out of government and society? Come on now!
Don''t worry that you think Northwest earthquakes are wimpy. You have a very large active volcano called Mt Rainier in your backyard. When that blows the pyroclastic flow will come right down through the Nisqually valley and wipe you out, in about 15 minutes. Hope you can run real fast
Who''s ted stevens? typical liberish from the left
Posted by Minuteman-5
You silly, nutty, fruitcakes are so twisted. You think Jesus would fit in more with your philosophy than with DEM''s who constantly fight for the rights of the poor and powerless? You folks are selfish fanatics, hypocritical, and corrupt. Because in word only you say that you are about God when in reality you fight against the principles our Lord and Saviour stood for. Take a long, honest look at yourselves. You people are hate mongers. It seems to me that you fanatics worship Rush Limbaugh instead of Jesus Christ!
Every Californian knows that when the Big One comes everything East of the Sierra Neavada''''s going to fall into the Atlantic!!
Now that is funny!!!!
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The you would have loved the ''64 quake in Anchorage DINGBAT!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecLwVgvvTvU
Posted by Minuteman-5
Okay ''genius'', he is the longest serving Republican Senator and is from Alaska. Nutty neocons just want to demonize the left even at the risk of sounding retarded.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecLwVgvvTvU
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