Patterico's Pontifications

7/29/2008

Quake Hits Southern California

Filed under: Current Events — DRJ @ 11:59 am



[Guest post by DRJ]

The jolt of a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit Southern California at 11:42 AM PDT. The USGS says the quake was centered 29 miles East-Southeast of LA near Chino Hills.

Take care, guys.

UPDATE: I’m closing the comments on this thread since Patterico has posted his first-person-account thread here.

— DRJ

12 Responses to “Quake Hits Southern California”

  1. It sure as hell left my chandelier swinging back and forth.

    (about halfway between Riverside and Palm Springs)

    Drumwaster (5ccf59)

  2. Maybe you should get out of your house?

    Peter (e70d1c)

  3. As a longtime Californian, 5.8 is just large enough to be worth worrying about.

    I hope to hear that everyone and their loved ones made it out OK.

    aphrael (9e8ccd)

  4. Maybe you should get out of your house?

    Why? Any quake that would flatten a Midwestern town would barely crack the windows here.

    We’re reasonably used to such quakes.

    In fact, I never even got up from my computer, but I did look around.

    Drumwaster (5ccf59)

  5. Drum…
    Exactly. I’m in Downey about 5-miles from PP’s court-room, and it was a corker: side-to-side and verticle. But, the last thing I want to do is go outside while it’s still shaking, and have a power pole fall on me. But, if this keeps up, I’ll have to install a seat-belt on the commode to keep from falling off – a terrible place to be during an earthquake.

    Another Drew (8018ee)

  6. Peter, I’m in Northern California so didn’t feel this, but Drumwaster and Another Drew are right.

    Most, if not all, California buildings are constructed to withstand earthquakes much stronger than a 5.8. Unless you’re in an unreinforced masonry building built on landfill, your house is probably safe.

    aphrael (9e8ccd)

  7. Right, my house (on a foundation) was built in ’56 to the code that was updated following the Tehachapi quake of ’52.
    Though I got a good shaking, a walk-around doesn’t show any cracks, and nothing fell – though the Tiffany-style, stained-glass kitchen chandelier (which is heavy!) just stopped swaying a few minutes ago.

    Another Drew (8018ee)

  8. It is now being downgraded to a 5.4…

    I feel disappointed.

    Drumwaster (5ccf59)

  9. 8, yeah, but my daughter is still being held on the 28th floor downtown. No all clear given for her yet, and she’s feeling aftershocks.

    PCD (5c49b0)

  10. 8, want to talk about Landers/Big Bear? Daugher was worried about Highway collapses like after Northridge.

    Her boss is the jinx. He was talking about the Sylmar quake just before it hit. He’s barricaded himself in his office lest his staff throw him out the window as the scapegoat for this quake.

    PCD (5c49b0)

  11. That Landers quake was bad. If you ever see the Cabazon Valley from space, you can see how much the ground moved. I live about 2 miles from the San Jacinto fault and about five miles from the San Andreas.

    Drumwaster (5ccf59)

  12. I don’t mean “from space”, but from a plane. I was thinking of having you look it up on Google Earth, and phrased it badly.

    Drumwaster (5ccf59)


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