www.loudlabs.com Written by City News Service - A magnitude 5.1 earthquake, which struck La Habra and was felt across Orange County, caused minor damage to buildings, gas and water main breaks and some street flooding in northern Orange County, but no injuries were reported. The temblor hit at 9:09 p.m. Friday at a depth of five miles, one mile east of La Habra, and was preceded by a magnitude 3.6 quake in the area at 8:03 p.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The earthquake was felt from the Mexico border to the Central Valley in at least seven Southern California counties, including Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Ventura and Kern. The temblor was followed by about 40 aftershocks, two greater than magnitude 3.0, USGS seismologist Robert Graves said. There were no reports of surface rupture, Graves said. The shaker was estimated to be about 10 times larger than the March 17 magnitude 4.4 quake near Encino in terms of energy released, says Lucy Jones, a visiting research associate at Caltech's Seismological Laboratory. The March temblor struck early on a Monday morning. This one, 12 days later, was a reminder to the community, to be prepared Mayor Eric Garcett said. ``L.A. residents can visit readyla.org for guidance on how to best prepare for the next earthquake, including potential aftershocks,'' Garcetti said. The city of Fullerton and nearby communities in northern Orange County suffered damage to buildings, with 50 residents displaced, according to city officials. La Habra police received multiple reports of broken windows and gas shut- offs in the 1200 block of South Beach as a precautionary measure, according to police spokeswoman Cindy Knapp. Police and city building officials also investigated possible structural damage to apartment complexes in the 2500 block of West Whittier Boulevard, the 400 block of North Idaho Street and 700 block of West First Avenue, Knapp continued. Residents were evacuated from these locations but, so far, no buildings have been red-tagged. The Red Cross opened a shelter at the La Habra Community Center at 101 W. La Habra Blvd., she said. According to Knapp, about 50 residents came to the center but many have since left. Knapp also told NBC4 that the city has had three water main breaks, but said no injuries were reported. NBC4 also reported six water main breaks in the city of Fullerton. Southern California Edison reported that 1,748 customers in the La Mirada area lost power. Edison spokeswoman Susan Cox said the outage, which occurred at 9:11 p.m., was most likely related to the earthquake. The Los Angeles County Fire Department received reports of gas leaks in the Rowland Heights area and scattered minor damage, said department supervisor Ed Pickett. The Los Angeles police and fire departments conducted an assessment and reported no damage in the city, Garcetti said. Disneyland shut down rides as a precaution, NBC4 reported. Train services were also affected, with Metrolink announcing that it service from San Bernardino to Union Station was running 150 minutes behind schedule, and its Orange County line 644 to Oceanside 42 minutes late. Those delays were a result of precautionary slowing due to the earthquake, Metrolink said on its website. However, No damage to the Metro Rail system was found following a check of all lines, the agency's Paul Gonzales told City News Service. USGS's Graves said about 40 aftershocks had followed the initial temblor. Jones said the most likely time for a follow-up earthquake was over the course of the night. ``Tonight is the most likely time (for an earthquake) and the next hour is the most likely time,'' Jones said. ``Each hour we pass without an earthquake reduces the chances.'' LOUDLABS NEWS

• published: 29 Mar 2014
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