Earthquake Hits Southern California: A First-Person Account

At 11:42 a.m. today a strong earthquake hit Southern California. It registered 5.8 on the Richter scale and was centered in Chino Hills, 29 miles E/SE of Los Angeles. Ten aftershocks have occurred so far, with the strongest at 3.8.

First reports indicate no power outages, serious injuries, or severe damages. Buildings swayed, bottles and breakables fell off shelves in stores, but there are no reports of windows breaking at this time. Cell phones and landlines were jammed, as often happens in disasters, and it was hard if not impossible to reach family and friends in the L.A. area.

The quake was 7.6 miles deep. The deeper a quake is, the further away it can be felt. The quake was felt as far south as San Diego, as far east as Las Vegas, and as far north as Bakersfield.

I live in Bakersfield, about 90 miles north of Los Angeles. When the quake hit, I was lying on my couch nursing a back injury. Without my feet connecting to the floor, I could feel the earthquake more strongly, and the couch moved side to side as if I were on a waterbed. Looking up, I noticed the wind chimes hanging from my ceiling were swaying.

Having lived in California for many years, I have experienced quakes as strong as 7.5+. I've gotten so used to them that smaller quakes like this are almost fun to me. It feels as if you're on a ride at an amusement park. You can't do much about it, so just sit back and enjoy the ride.