Subscribe Login
Jamaica Observer
ePaper
The Edge 105 FM Radio Fyah 105 FM
Jamaica Observer
ePaper
The Edge 105 FM Radio Fyah 105 FM
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest News
      • Cartoon
      • International News
      • Central
      • North & East
      • Western
      • Environment
      • Health
      • #
    • Business
      • Business Bites
      • Social Love
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Basketball
      • Cricket
      • Horse Racing
      • World Champs
      • Commonwealth Games
      • FIFA World Cup 2022
      • Olympics
      • #
    • Entertainment
      • Music
      • Movies
      • Art & Culture
      • Bookends
      • #
    • Lifestyle
      • Page2
      • Food
      • Tuesday Style
      • Food Awards
      • JOL Takes Style Out
      • Design Week JA
      • Black Friday
      • #
    • All Woman
      • Home
      • Relationships
      • Features
      • Fashion
      • Fitness
      • Rights
      • Parenting
      • Advice
      • #
    • Obituaries
    • Classifieds
      • Employment
      • Property
      • Motor Vehicles
      • Place an Ad
      • Obituaries
    • More
      • Games
      • Elections
      • Jobs & Careers
      • Study Centre
      • Jnr Study Centre
      • Letters
      • Columns
      • Advertorial
      • Editorial
      • Supplements
      • Webinars
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest News
      • Cartoon
      • International News
      • Central
      • North & East
      • Western
      • Environment
      • Health
      • #
    • Business
      • Business Bites
      • Social Love
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Basketball
      • Cricket
      • Horse Racing
      • World Champs
      • Commonwealth Games
      • FIFA World Cup 2022
      • Olympics
      • #
    • Entertainment
      • Music
      • Movies
      • Art & Culture
      • Bookends
      • #
    • Lifestyle
      • Page2
      • Food
      • Tuesday Style
      • Food Awards
      • JOL Takes Style Out
      • Design Week JA
      • Black Friday
      • #
    • All Woman
      • Home
      • Relationships
      • Features
      • Fashion
      • Fitness
      • Rights
      • Parenting
      • Advice
      • #
    • Obituaries
    • Classifieds
      • Employment
      • Property
      • Motor Vehicles
      • Place an Ad
      • Obituaries
    • More
      • Games
      • Elections
      • Jobs & Careers
      • Study Centre
      • Jnr Study Centre
      • Letters
      • Columns
      • Advertorial
      • Editorial
      • Supplements
      • Webinars
  • Home
  • News
    • International News
  • Latest
  • Business
    • Business Bites
  • Cartoon
  • Games
  • Food Awards
  • Health
  • Entertainment
    • Bookends
  • Regional
  • Sports
    • Sports
    • World Cup
    • World Champs
    • Olympics
  • All Woman
  • Career & Education
  • Environment
  • Webinars
  • More
    • Football
    • Elections
    • Letters
    • Advertorial
    • Columns
    • Editorial
    • Supplements
  • Epaper
  • Classifieds
  • Design Week
Magnitude-5.1 earthquake shakes Los Angeles
An overturned car in the wake of Friday night's earthquake. (PhotoAP)
News
March 28, 2014

Magnitude-5.1 earthquake shakes Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A magnitude-5.1 earthquake centred south of Los Angeles shook residents throughout Southern California and sent bottles and cans tumbling off shelves in stores, produced a rock slide that closed a road and forced a brief shutdown of rides at Disneyland. There were no reports of major damage or injuries.

In the Orange County city of Fullerton, about 50 people were forced from their homes because of concerns about damage to buildings. Southern California Edison reported power outages to about 2,000 customers following the quake.

The US Geological Survey said the temblor struck at 9:09 pm Friday and was centred near Brea in Orange County, about 20 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, at a depth of 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 epicentre, according to Twitter updates from local authorities.

Tom Connolly, a Boeing employee who lives in La Mirada, 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 told The Associated Press by phone. “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.”

Hall of Fame baseball 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.”

More than two dozen aftershocks ranging from magnitudes 2 to 3.6 were recorded, according to the USGS. Earlier in the evening, two foreshocks registering at magnitude-3.6 and magnitude-2.1 hit nearby in the city of La Habra.

Public safety officials said crews were inspecting bridges, dams, rail tracks and other infrastructure systems for signs of damage. The Brea police department said the rock slide in the 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 theatre lobby in Brea when the quake struck and said people ran outside and hugged in the street.

Rides were halted at Disneyland in Anaheim, but no damage was found and the theme park was expected to have normal operations Saturday.

Friday’s quake hit a week after a pre-dawn magnitude-4.4 quake centred 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 magnitude-6.7 Northridge quake killed several dozen people and caused US$25 billion in damage.

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 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake, USGS seismologist Lucy Jones said.

“It’s a place where we’ve had a lot of earthquakes in the past,” she said.

The 5.9 Whittier Narrows quake killed eight people and caused $360 million in damage.

{"website":"website"}{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
img img
0 Comments · Make a comment

ALSO ON JAMAICA OBSERVER

Sabalenka crumbles to French Open quarter-final defeat by Shnaider
Latest News, Sports
Sabalenka crumbles to French Open quarter-final defeat by Shnaider
June 3, 2026
PARIS, France (AFP) — Aryna Sabalenka's bid for a first French Open title was left in tatters as she fell apart in a bizarre defeat by Russian 25th se...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Kenya health minister says US Ebola quarantine centre will proceed
International News, Latest News
Kenya health minister says US Ebola quarantine centre will proceed
June 3, 2026
NAIROBI, Kenya (AFP) — Kenya's health minister said on Wednesday that the United States (US) funded quarantine centre would proceed, days after deadly...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Respected British musicologist Steve Barrow dies at 80
Entertainment, Latest News
Respected British musicologist Steve Barrow dies at 80
June 3, 2026
Steve Barrow, a respected British musicologist who wrote liner notes for the acclaimed box set, Tougher Than Tough: The Story Of Jamaican Music , died...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Butch Stewart’s family differences resolved
Latest News, News
Butch Stewart’s family differences resolved
June 3, 2026
The family of late Jamaican business and tourism mogul Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart have announced that they have resolved their differences and are looking...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Long Lane, St Andrew to be temporarily closed this weekend
Latest News, News
Long Lane, St Andrew to be temporarily closed this weekend
June 3, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The National Works Agency (NWA) is advising motorists and residents that a section of Long Lane along Stony Hill Road in St Andrew...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
WHO warns Ebola had ‘big head-start’ but response ‘catching up’
International News, Latest News
WHO warns Ebola had ‘big head-start’ but response ‘catching up’
June 3, 2026
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization (WHO) warned Wednesday that the Ebola outbreak confirmed to have killed 61 people in central...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Utilities still rebuilding from Melissa as hurricane season begins, regulator says
Latest News, News
Utilities still rebuilding from Melissa as hurricane season begins, regulator says
June 3, 2026
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Parts of Jamaica's utility sector have yet to fully recover from Hurricane Melissa as the country enters a new Atlantic hurricane ...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
Global media join forces to confront AI challenges
International News, Latest News
Global media join forces to confront AI challenges
June 3, 2026
MARSEILLE, France (AFP) — Around 30 European and North American media outlets on Wednesday joined a coalition launched by Britain's BBC, Sky News and ...
{"jamaica-observer":"Jamaica Observer"}
❮ ❯

Polls

HOUSE RULES

  1. We welcome reader comments on the top stories of the day. Some comments may be republished on the website or in the newspaper; email addresses will not be published.
  2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.
  3. We ask that comments are civil and free of libellous or hateful material. Also please stick to the topic under discussion.
  4. Please do not write in block capitals since this makes your comment hard to read.
  5. Please don't use the comments to advertise. However, our advertising department can be more than accommodating if emailed: advertising@jamaicaobserver.com.
  6. If readers wish to report offensive comments, suggest a correction or share a story then please email: community@jamaicaobserver.com.
  7. Lastly, read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy

Recent Posts

Archives

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Tweets

Polls

Recent Posts

Archives

Logo Jamaica Observer
Breaking news from the premier Jamaican newspaper, the Jamaica Observer. Follow Jamaican news online for free and stay informed on what's happening in the Caribbean
Featured Tags
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Health
  • Auto
  • Business
  • Letters
  • Page2
  • Football
Categories
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Page2
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Page2
Ads
img
Jamaica Observer, © All Rights Reserved
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • RSS Feeds
  • Feedback
  • Privacy Policy
  • Editorial Code of Conduct