Wednesday, March 17, 2010

4.4 earthquake jolts the L.A. area

A predawn earthquake sent a sharp jolt across the Los Angeles area Tuesday, but the magnitude 4.4 temblor was barely strong enough to knock items off shelves.

It was, however, sharp enough to frazzle residents, many of whom felt a "strong bang." The epicenter was 10 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles in Pico Rivera, and the quake was felt as far away as San Diego and Ventura County.

Los Angeles County fire official Ed Pickett, who was in East Los Angeles, said the jolt at 4:04 a.m. felt "like the building dropped."

He described feeling the quake for about "15 seconds at the most."
But at the epicenter, there appeared to be no major damage. Not a single bottle broke at Walt's Liquor Store in Pico Rivera, said owner Letti Talamantes.

Jose Palomera, who was cleaning a taco stand in Pico Rivera, first thought the shaking was a rolling big rig. "It just felt like a big wave just passing by," he said.

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