Posted on 12/22/2003 11:42:29 AM PST by TexKat
CAMBRIA, Calif. - An earthquake rocked the central coast Monday and sent tremors across a wide swath of Southern California.
The quake was felt as a sustained but gentle rolling motion in downtown Los Angeles.
The U.S. Geological Survey gave it a preliminary magnitude of 6.5 and said it was centered north of the coastal town of Cambria. Cambria is about 185 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
The site is only a few miles from San Simeon, William Randolph Hearst's castle. Calls to the castle did not immediately go through.
That's what YOU think. The Jihadis have placed special mechanical oscillator-generators - aka, earthquake machines - along several key points in the San Andreas Fault, and we're now seeing their plan in action. Bush, of course, has created these Jihadis by his "unilateral" action against all of Islam.
Iow, it's all Bush's .......'fault' ;)
And only a 6.5? Nah, it can't be that.
CAMBRIA, Calif. - A powerful earthquake rocked a wide swath of California on Monday, collapsing downtown buildings in one town not far from the Hearst Castle, causing some injuries and a widespread blackout in the remote area.
The quake struck at 11:16 a.m. It was felt as a sustained but gentle rolling motion in downtown Los Angeles. In San Francisco, it rocked the 20-story federal courthouse, with its upper floors swaying for about 30 seconds.
The U.S. Geological Survey gave it a preliminary magnitude of 6.5 and said it was centered north of the tiny coastal town of Cambria. Cambria is in San Luis Obispo County, about 185 miles northwest of Los Angeles and an equal distance from San Francisco. The county has a population of around 250,000.
"It was pretty sharp," said Sharyn Conn, receptionist at the oceanside Cypress Cove Inn in Cambria. "It really went on and on. I just got everyone under the door frames and rode it out."
The site is only a few miles from San Simeon, William Randolph Hearst's castle. The popular tourist attraction was evacuated as a precaution but reported no major damage.
A block of old buildings in downtown Paso Robles collapsed onto their first floors, police Sgt. Bob Adams told KNBC-TV Los Angeles. Initial television images from the scene showed the buildings slumped but still standing amid debris.
The quake struck on a series of faults that run parallel to the San Andreas Fault, said Lucy Jones, scientist in charge of the U.S. Geological Survey office in Pasadena.
The quake likely ruptured along roughly 20 miles of a yet-unknown fault, Jones said.
"It's luckily on the coast — there is not very much nearby. That's a good thing," Jones said.
The last one of a similar size in the area was in 1952, said Ross Stein of the USGS in Menlo Park.
The agency listed several smaller aftershocks, the largest magnitude 4.7.
"We'll expect quite of few of them in the next couple of days," Stein said.
San Luis Obispo County sheriff's Sgt. Pete Hodgkin said damage reports were trickling in.
"It's the usual stuff, broken glass and stuff. Haven't heard anything serious," Hodgkin said. "Some people are hurt at the Wild Horse Winery, some wine barrels fell over. I don't know anything more.
"It's kind of hectic," he said. "It felt like a big one, like the San Francisco earthquake years ago. The lights went out. We're on emergency power here."
John Nelson, a spokesman for Pacific Gas and Electric, said approximately 10,000 homes and businesses were without power in the San Luis Obispo area.
The utility reported no major damage at its Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant; it was being checked for minor damage. Another utility, Duke Energy, said there was no substantive damage at its two coastal power plants, Morro Bay and Moss Landing.
Hearst Castle reported no obvious damage and no injuries, said Roy Stearns, spokesman for the state Department of Parks and Recreation. A crew was to go over its 150 rooms in detail; the only damage found immediately was a blown transformer at a campground, Stearns said.
The castle is particularly popular this time of year because it is decorated with the Hearst Christmas ornaments.
"People come from far and wide to see that, because it's pretty spectacular," Stearns said.
According to callers on local news radio in Fresno, the earthquake also was felt throughout the San Joaquin Valley.
Superintendent Pamela Martens of the Coast Unified School District in Cambria said school had been closed for the holidays, but there are "things off the shelf and all over the place. Computers are down."
A magnitude 6 quake can cause severe damage under a populated area, though damage is often much less in places with strong building codes.
Tom Marshall, spokesman of the California Highway Patrol in Sacramento, said the timing, coming just after the nationwide terror alert was raised, "does present its challenges, but fortunately the information we're receiving on the earthquake right now so far hasn't caused any drain on our resources."
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