About an hour ago we had a strong jolt and rolling earthquake here in the LA area.

5.8 Earthquake Shakes Southern California

Did anyone in the area feel that? Pretty strong, haven't felt anything that strong in a while. Nothing compared to Northridge. Felt as far away as Las Vegas.
It only lasted about 20 seconds. But that short time is pretty frightening. Another thirty seconds of that and buildings start to come down.

Sirens going off in the background, but there haven't been any major injuries reported.  :)

I felt it at my home in Oxnard.

Are you in the Los Angeles area too?! I grew up there!

No.I'm in San jose.

I felt it at my home in Oxnard.

Are you in the Los Angeles area too?! I grew up there!

I'm in Long Beach, 25 miles south of LA.
The quake was centered in Chino Hills, about 25 miles NE of here.

I thought someone ran a truck or car into my building, then the heavy rolling. Surprising that some of these old craftman style buildings in southern CA are still standing after years of earthquakes, fires, and floods...

Everything seems to be OK, other than the local TV/radio stations wetting themselves, just some minor disturbances (electricity is down in some areas, cell sites are down, water mains broken).

I'm only hoping that was the main event, and not a fore shock of something bigger. If that was a fore shock, we are in for some major trouble...if anything this should get some of us thinking about what could happen and if we are ready for it.

Make sure you have an emergency/disaster kit prepared people! It just may save your or someone else's life!

The USGS downgraded it.  It was a 5.4.

Glad everyone is okay, though.  Even the tiny ones can be deadly. :P

Happened to be in a grocery store when it happened....

wonder what irony it must have been for the UNIVERSAL STUDIOS TOUR tourists IF they were on the EARTHQUAKE RIDE when it happened and what their reaction was..That would be an entertaining story to me !

Also this trial run proved to me(from what I heard), cell phones are useless in an emergency! Either the system crashed or overloaded, so now what needs to be done?

P.S. MOTHER NATURE gives California FREE cell calls from cars today!!!! ;D

I found this info on an upcoming earthquake drill to be held in So-Cal in November , here's a link http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=1982

or just read it here;

The Great Southern California ShakeOut, a weeklong series of special events featuring a massive earthquake drill at 10 AM on November 13, 2008, in Los Angeles, is one way for the public to get prepared for the next big earthquake. It is being sponsored by the Earthquake Country Alliance, of which the USGS is a founding member.       

The ShakeOut drill centers on the ShakeOut Scenario, a realistic portrayal of what could happen in a major earthquake on the southern end of the San Andreas Fault. Created by over 300 experts led by Dr. Lucy Jones of USGS, the scenario outlines a hypothetical 7.8 magnitude earthquake originating near the Salton Sea, which would have the potential to devastate the region.

With a goal of at least 5 million participants, the ShakeOut drill will be the largest in U.S. history. Southern Californians are signing up at www.shakeout.org/register, to pledge their family, business, or organization's participation in the drill. Registered participants receive information on how to prepare and drill, connect with other participants, and encourage a dialogue within the community about earthquake preparedness.  In the first 6 weeks of registration, over 1.9 million people are registered to be part of the drill.

I found this info on an upcoming earthquake drill to be held in So-Cal in November , here's a link http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=1982

or just read it here;

The Great Southern California ShakeOut, a weeklong series of special events featuring a massive earthquake drill at 10 AM on November 13, 2008, in Los Angeles, is one way for the public to get prepared for the next big earthquake. It is being sponsored by the Earthquake Country Alliance, of which the USGS is a founding member.       

The ShakeOut drill centers on the ShakeOut Scenario, a realistic portrayal of what could happen in a major earthquake on the southern end of the San Andreas Fault. Created by over 300 experts led by Dr. Lucy Jones of USGS, the scenario outlines a hypothetical 7.8 magnitude earthquake originating near the Salton Sea, which would have the potential to devastate the region.

With a goal of at least 5 million participants, the ShakeOut drill will be the largest in U.S. history. Southern Californians are signing up at www.shakeout.org/register, to pledge their family, business, or organization's participation in the drill. Registered participants receive information on how to prepare and drill, connect with other participants, and encourage a dialogue within the community about earthquake preparedness.  In the first 6 weeks of registration, over 1.9 million people are registered to be part of the drill.




They're figuring this out NOW? The LA city dept. has found THEY have a major flaw..No one was alerted once the quake occured to 'please walk out of your buildings ' etc..
I love those 'we're due for  THE BIG ONE' in the next decade..I'm here 30 years and they said that they were overdue!

I was ready then!


Since then they did the 'scientific monitoring of the SPOT ' where they expected the big one to start RIDGECREST...they waited and waited..no action!

CA has been through disasters since the 70's that I saw, the scientists made predictions, computers became commonplace, next sonar and waves can be detected, animals are being watched..NO ONE KNOWS FOR SURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I felt here in Santa Barbara too... It's kind of funny because last night I moved some furniture in my apt...Its pretty small so the only way to hold onto what i have is to put it on top of each other. I needed to make room for something so I decided to put a small book case on top of my amoire. Instead of putting the armoire against a wall I use the back of it as a head board. I already had one bookcase on it to the front and this second one would be at the back so right over my head. I said to myself I wonder if this would hold during an earthquake....I'd sure hate to get squashed because I'm a packrat.  Well the earthquake came and it held...how was that for timing tho?

They're figuring this out NOW? The LA city dept. has found THEY have a major flaw..No one was alerted once the quake occured to 'please walk out of your buildings ' etc..
I love those 'we're due for  THE BIG ONE' in the next decade..I'm here 30 years and they said that they were overdue!

I was ready then!

Since then they did the 'scientific monitoring of the SPOT ' where they expected the big one to start RIDGECREST...they waited and waited..no action!

CA has been through disasters since the 70's that I saw, the scientists made predictions, computers became commonplace, next sonar and waves can be detected, animals are being watched..NO ONE KNOWS FOR SURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NO ALERT?  that's crazy!  oh well, better late than never for the Drill.  There was a time when I was better prepared (supplies, aid, & water) after the 1989 7.1 Loma Prieta NorCal earthquake, but as the years go by, many of us have gotten comfortable & relaxed & are not prepared. if one were to strike &  electronics, gas, grocery stores, atm's were unavailable for 4 days or more, it could be rough going.  We have been waiting for the big one for some time now. This is California and quakes come with the territory and the Big one, if there ever is one, will probably come without warning, so I think for me, the main thing is to have a plan of maintaining contact with family if we are seperated.
and one word of advice...stay away from brick buildings  ::)

Yes, I'm in La Verne, 20 minutes from Chino Hills.

NO ALERT?  that's crazy!  oh well, better late than never for the Drill.  There was a time when I was better prepared (supplies, aid, & water) after the 1989 7.1 Loma Prieta NorCal earthquake, but as the years go by, many of us have gotten comfortable & relaxed & are not prepared. if one were to strike &  electronics, gas, grocery stores, atm's were unavailable for 4 days or more, it could be rough going.  We have been waiting for the big one for some time now. This is California and quakes come with the territory and the Big one, if there ever is one, will probably come without warning, so I think for me, the main thing is to have a plan of maintaining contact with family if we are seperated.
and one word of advice...stay away from brick buildings  ::)


well 20 seconds doesn't give much time to get an alert out and I would imagine that had it been a greater magnitude they would have done some sort of alert system but there was no major damage like with Northridge and Loma Prieta (which I also felt living in stockton at the time)

Run Judy, Run!

The Earthquake happened live on Judge Judy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5t_p6Adu8E&feature=related

And someone correct me if I am wrong, but this could very well be the first time an earthquake was captured on a national broadcast in the US since the 1989 World Series

We Right-Coasters used to lord it over Californians that our land was granite solid and they'res was going to break off and fall int the sea in the next 200 years.  Now global warming is gonna give us a dip in the drink!
http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/05/jarswim.gif

The last tremor we got around here, I slept right through it!  There was the big earthquake in 1982.  It felt sort of like a big truck was driving by the house for 11 seconds.  And that was the quake!
:D

Run Judy, Run!

The Earthquake happened live on Judge Judy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5t_p6Adu8E&feature=related

And someone correct me if I am wrong, but this could very well be the first time an earthquake was captured on a national broadcast in the US since the 1989 World Series


That was pretty funny


You might be right I don't think they were taping any national shows at 430 am when the Northridge quake hit in, what?, 94 although they may have been taping early morning news casts in LA. 

Run Judy, Run!

The Earthquake happened live on Judge Judy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5t_p6Adu8E&feature=related

And someone correct me if I am wrong, but this could very well be the first time an earthquake was captured on a national broadcast in the US since the 1989 World Series



that's funny...JJ took off pretty darn fast!  ;D

Run Judy, Run!

The Earthquake happened live on Judge Judy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5t_p6Adu8E&feature=related

And here I thought there was nothing funny about Jude Judgy ;D



And someone correct me if I am wrong, but this could very well be the first time an earthquake was captured on a national broadcast in the US since the 1989 World Series

Yes, right before game 3 of the '89 World Series, the Bay Area was hit hard, so they had to postpone the game until a later date. Thankfully the series was finished off in four games altogether.