Thread: Quake shakes S. California

A strong earthquake shook Southern California on Tuesday, causing buildings to sway and triggering some precautionary evacuations. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The jolt was felt from Los Angeles to San Diego, across the border in Tijuana, Mexico and slightly in Las Vegas.

The 11:42 a.m. quake was initially estimated at 5.8 by the U.S. Geological Survey but was revised downward to 5.4. More than a dozen aftershocks quickly followed, the largest estimated at magnitude-3.8.

The quake was centered 29 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles near the San Bernardino County city of Chino Hills, and was estimated to be about 8 miles below the earth's surface.

"It will certainly cause cracked plaster and broken windows, but probably not structural damage," said seismologist Kate Hutton at the USGS office in nearby Pasadena.

The magnitude-5.9 Whittier Narrows quake in 1987 was the last big shake in that area. That quake heavily damaged older buildings and houses in communities east of Los Angeles.

No electrical outages were reported in Los Angeles due to the quake, said Department of Water and Power spokeswoman Kim Hughes.

But the state's Office of Emergency Services urged people throughout Southern California to cut back on telephone usage, saying a flood of calls after the quake had jammed up phone lines.

"The big message now is don't use telephones or cell phones in Southern California," agency Spokesman Kelly Huston said. "The systems down there are maxed out, and that creates a really dangerous situation when it comes to people who need to call 911 for an emergency."

Source: AP

I've read that most houses in Chino Hills are built in the 80s so those must be weak by now?

When I've heard it in the news I'm really terrified. I'm afraid in earth quake for heaven sake.