And now, with a 5.1 shaking Los Angeles directly, people are hoping that that is the biggest they will be hit with..
The earthquake struck at 9:11 Friday night just as the night life began--panic ensued .. While no major damages occurred from the shake, it only did more to rattle the nerves and spirits of the people of the City of Angels, off the Pacific..
The epicenter of the earthquake was in Orange County.. the USGS said that hours before the bigger 5.1, a 3.6 hit in same area.
This is how the initial AP dispatch read shortly after the events of Friday night:
Authorities say a magnitude-5.1 earthquake has shaken the Los Angeles area. The U.S. Geological Survey originally estimated the quake to be a magnitude-5.3. It said the Friday quake struck at about 9:11 p.m. and was centered near Brea in Orange County — about 20 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. About an hour earlier, a 3.6 quake hit nearby in the city of La Habra. There were no immediate reports of damage.
Officials say this was an unusual sequence of events--especially with the 3.6 before and then the larger 5.1 after..
After the bigger earthquake hit, there were aftershocks lasting throughout the night in the same locations.
One reporter at MASHABLE even noted that since the quake occurred after 9pm, thousands of people undoubtedly felt it while they were sitting in theater seats watching NOAH battle the flood.. One Tweet remarked that they thought the theater had advanced to 4D, and that the quake struck right as the flood hit in the movie..
The word in the streets in LA, and undoubtedly the bars and clubs where people may have been subdued, the 'big one' is coming. News accounts have warned over the past month that a large quake is coming to California and that a 'bigger one' than any recently is due..
There has not been a strong earthquake in the area since the mid 1990s.. that may be changing with the recent series of tremors ..
NBC Los Angeles has a series of images showcasing the damages from last night's quake--they are plenty by their are really minor compared to what would have happened during a big one. The good news from the images is that it seems those most busy with the 'cleanup' will be stock boys in grocery stores--much much better than search and rescue teams combing rubble.
And as always, should you be one of those worried souls like I am thinking the 'big one' is just around the corner, here's live quake cam in LA. You never know when the needle will begin to bounce..