Magnitude 5.1 earthquake strikes Los Angeles area, second this month, could prompt bigger jolt
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The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake struck at about 9 p.m. and was centered near La Habra in Orange County — some 30 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. Scattered damage, more than 100 aftershocks
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Published: Saturday, March 29, 2014
More than 100 aftershocks have rattled Southern California since a 5.1 magnitude earthquake jolted the area Friday night. Scattered, minor damage and injuries were reported as the U.S. Geologoical Survey warned the seismic shift could foreshadow a bigger temblor.
"There could be even a larger earthquake in the next few hours or the next few days," seismologist Lucy Jones said at a media briefing. Friday's incident followed a ground-shaking event earlier this month.
"Tonight's earthquake is the second in two weeks, and reminds us to be prepared," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said.
It struck at 9:09 p.m. and was centered near La Habra in Orange County — about 30 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles — at a depth of about 5 miles. It was felt as far south as San Diego and as far north as Ventura County, according to citizen responses collected online by the USGS.
Broken glass, gas leaks, water main breaks and a rockslide were reported near the epicenter, according to authorities.
Eyewitness photos and videos show bottles and packages strewn on store floors.
Southern California Edison reported power outages to about 2,000 customers.
Public safety officials said crews were inspecting bridges, dams, rail tracks and other infrastructure systems for signs of damage. The Brea police department said a rock slide in Carbon Canyon area caused a car to overturn, and the people inside sustained minor injuries.
Callers to KNX-AM reported seeing a brick wall collapse, water sloshing in a swimming pool and wires and trees swaying back and forth. One caller said he was in a movie theater lobby in Brea when the quake struck.
"A lot of the glass in the place shook like crazy," he said. "It started like a roll and then it started shaking like crazy. Everybody ran outside, hugging each other in the streets."
A helicopter news reporter from KNBC-TV reported from above that rides at Disneyland in Anaheim — several miles from the epicenter — were stopped.
Hall of Fame announcer Vin Scully was on the air calling the Angels-Dodgers exhibition game in the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium.
"A little tremor here in the ballpark. I'm not sure if the folks felt it, but we certainly felt it here in press box row," Scully said. "A tremor and only that, thank goodness."
Tom Connolly, a Boeing employee who lives in La Mirada, the next town over from La Habra, said the quake lasted about 30 seconds.
"We felt a really good jolt. It was a long rumble and it just didn't feel like it would end," he said. "Right in the beginning it shook really hard, so it was a little unnerving. People got quiet and started bracing themselves by holding on to each other. It was a little scary."
In the Orange County city of Fullerton, about 20 apartments and five homes were uninhabitable because of damage, fire officials said.
Friday's quake hit a week after a pre-dawn magnitude-4.4 quake centered in the San Fernando Valley rattled a swath of Southern California. That jolt shook buildings and rattled nerves, but did not cause significant damage.
Southern California has not experienced a devastating earthquake since the 1994's 6.7 magnitude quake in Northridge, which killed 57 people, severed freeways and caused $25 billion in damages.
Preliminary data suggest Friday night's 5.1 magnitude earthquake occurred near the Puente Hills thrust fault, which stretches from the San Gabriel Valley to downtown Los Angeles and caused the 5.9 magnitude 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake, seismologist Jones said. It killed eight people.
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