Quake Shakes Southern California

Geological Survey Says 5.4 Magnitude Quake Centered 29 Miles Outside Downtown L.A.

(CBS/ AP)  The strongest earthquake to strike a populated area of Southern California since the 1994 Northridge quake rocked the region from Los Angeles to San Diego on Tuesday but caused only limited damage and a few injuries.

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.

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View a map from The U.S. Geological Survey, showing the epicenter of the quake.

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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.

"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."'

[valentin73]

There''s a whole lotta shakin'' goin'' on

Sshaake Rattle & Roll

I''ve got the shakes

LA Shakedown

(know of any other lines?)

[rustl-2009]

I''m just glad that apparently no gas mains were broken or other things that would cause fires. With the conditons in California right now, if the quake had started fires, it would be like if somebody dropped a nuclear bomb on the area. I''m glad nobody was hurt seriously. In the midwest we had some small quakes this spring that shook everybody up a little and reminded us of what could happen in the New Madrid area. I''m a little suprised that no quakes in 14 years in California, maybe that''s a record.

[usclimey]

no way would i live out here not knowing when the earth might open up and swallow you and your kids .

Posted by tootall1014

At least with an earthquake it''s quick and everthing stays pretty much where it is, there''s none of this finding your cat half way up a tree in the next town like there is with a tornado, and none of the masochistic TV watching for the four day will-it-hit-or-won''t-it period of a hurricane.

[wl7bzh]

if you take away religion OFF from the conversation..These so called liberals are pretty quite in thier corner chewing on thier little security blanket..waiting for another chance to blame thier failed dreams on some "mystical" god.


Posted by libsluv2spit at 07:34 PM : Jul 29, 2008
-----------------------------

Lemmie see,

Adam is formed from the elements. Then, later he is given an anesthetic. Surgery is performed to remove a rib in order to obtain bone marrow stem cells.

There is genetic engineering on the stem cells then a female is cloned for Adam......Yup sounds down right mystical to me.

[oneworldusa]

Posted by stn_sage at 08:46 PM : Jul 29, 2008

-If you don''t like what I have to say, you have every right to ignore it. You are not the board monitor. I made an observation and comment on the topic at hand. That is all.

Why were you so personally offended by something that wasn''t even directed towards you?

My true point was this. An earthquake has nothing to do with politics. This is ONE thing we really can''t blame on Bush, or Congress, or the GOP or Democratic Party. I was amused by the political debate this story seemed to have caused. Its the nature of the times, people are finally fired up about an election and still, I''d bet 40% or more people don''t bother to vote. I hope I am wrong.

Far as the story goes, earthquake, California, yawn.

[oneworldusa]

Posted by GrammaWhamma at 01:56 AM : Jul 30, 2008

-Don''t forget about the pollution, crowding, gangs, illegals, and cost of living.

[grammawhamma]

Wildfires and earth quakes....what a paradise!

[kretos_d]

is jesus punishing CA for making bad porn ? .. is that why Russia is doing so well ?

Posted by jydavis1

Jesus cannot do anything God does what he wills !


John 5:30 "I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of God who sent Me.

[tiredofthebs]

When is the real big mutha of all time gonna hit Cali?

Posted by Keithle1 at 10:54 PM : Jul 29, 2008


It won''t! It will happen in the midsouth (Kansas City - Memphis, TN area), and it will split the country in half at the Mississippi River.

[keithle1]

When is the real big mutha of all time gonna hit Cali?

[obamanation-2009]

I preached in my day that NOW is the time for CHANGE. NOW is the time to BELIEVE in our cause. Yes WE can through my election! Now Barack Obama is preaching the same message 70 years later! I am proud to have the audacity to have hope without truth in voting for him!
.............Your loving and kind friend A. Hitler!

Its the Wright way to have Damnation by abomination. Sorry Obamanation!

Do you have the audacity to have hope without truth? Vote Barack Obama on Election Day!

[rightn_wrong]

The troubles of fires eartquakes is do to the new Sodomite law in California? They want to rebell against God!

[rudy654-2009]

QUICK, CALL AL GORE.


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Posted by vietnam21 at 07:43 PM

Yeah, to set you straight.

I bet you write on bathroom walls.

[stn_sage]

Your original post reads:

Boy, I haven''''t seen one legitimate on-topic post over at least the first two pages.

Re: California Earthquake. So what? It IS California. It will be news when half of it slides into the ocean.

Posted by OneWorldUSA at 06:17 PM : Jul 29, 2008
--------------------

Now, you say:

-LOL! Maybe you should have your blood pressure checked. I did read the first few pages at the time I started my

post. Mostly a lot of bickering and talk about politics. Just an observation, no criticism.

Chill, dude! Furthermore, I didn''''t even state an opinion. Nor did I ask for your input. However, thanks for

addressing my post?
--------------------

1. Your initial comment was a criticism NOT an observation. And it was ALSO incorrect!

2. Any personal declaratory comment IS an opinion, my friend!

3. These are open boards! No one is barred from commenting on another''s statements. The
tendency is to respond to good comments or, in your case, the bad! We do NOT have to
seek YOUR approval to respond to your comments! Where do you people come from?!

[daysrnumbrd]

Oh, that''s good, CBSnews.com took off the 30+ (repeat) postings from "Martha44".

Good job CBSnews.com!

[forasongca]

Sheesh...if God were trying to punish Californians for gay marriage, He''d send something bigger than a piddly 5.4 quake. That''s barely enough to crack the plaster.

And I *still* haven''t heard why the tornadoes that ripped up a church in Kansas last year weren''t God''s punishment for that state''s attempt to teach creationism in the schools.

Are natural disasters only "God''s punishment" when they happen to people you disagree with?

[jingkob]

Where do I do the google maps thing to tell my story??

[oneworldusa]

Posted by stn_sage at 06:38 PM : Jul 29, 2008

-LOL! Maybe you should have your blood pressure checked. I did read the first few pages at the time I started my post. Mostly a lot of bickering and talk about politics. Just an observation, no criticism.

Chill, dude! Furthermore, I didn''t even state an opinion. Nor did I ask for your input. However, thanks for addressing my post?

[vietnam21]

QUICK, CALL AL GORE.

[libsluv2spit]

if you take away religion OFF from the conversation..These so called liberals are pretty quite in thier corner chewing on thier little security blanket..waiting for another chance to blame thier failed dreams on some "mystical" god.