Retro Friday: Northridge, 15 Years Later

San Bernardino Shaker: Did You Feel It?

Yep, we did — a minor shimmy here in Glendale (the Blogger Preschooler missed it, but Maria and I definitely felt it). It was a magnitude 4.5 earthquake (downgraded from what was initially reported as a 5.0) at 7:49 p.m. located about a mile south of San Bernardino.

Quake Overload

Coverage overkill? Uh, yuh think? Our local TV newscasters have never been known for their restraint — this is the land of STORMWATCH and car chases, after all.

But it’s still a sorry sight to see our local stations struggling to make Tuesday’s 5.4 quake into a bigger story. Some of it was pure fear mongering — “Is this the precursor to something bigger?” was the first question out of everyone’s mouth. The truth is, the odds of the big one hitting tomorrow aren’t much better or worse than they were yesterday. When the big one’s ready to hit, it’s gonna hit.

Broken pipes, shampoo bottles on supermarket floors, some bricks from unreinforced buildings sliding to the ground — interesting visuals and worth mentioning. But worth blowing out the afternoon with wall to wall coverage?

I suppose you could argue that at least this was good practice for when a big quake really does hit. But I was almost embarrassed for Southern California by the end of the day — given the truly destructive quakes and natural disasters around the globe in recent years, our minor shake was a minor distraction.

Of course, there wasn’t video from those other quakes of Judge Judy — looking alarmed, probably wondering if that light above her was going to come crashing down.

Here’s How the Quake Looked Live on TV

Here’s How the Quake Looked Live on TV

Did You Feel It?

There are scary earthquakes, and there are not. Thankfully, today’s shaker was a fun one. Here at Variety, we felt a little shake — as if a truck was passing by — followed by a gentle but firm sway from side to side.

The details, from USGS:

A moderate earthquake occurred at 11:42:15 AM (PDT) on Tuesday, July 29, 2008.The magnitude 5.8 event occurred 3 km (2 miles) SW of Chino Hills, CA. The hypocentral depth is 12 km (8 miles).

Turns out it was actually just a 5.4. A lotta shakin’, but that’s about it. Still, that’s not stopping local news from going hogwild with wall-to-wall coverage.

Your Scare for the Weekend: Deadly Earthquake, Waaaay Overdue

According to a seismologist at the U.S. Geological Survey and a member of the California Seismic Safety Commission, the Coachella Valley is overdue for a major earthquake that would make the 1994 Northridge tremblor look like a hiccup.

Lucy Jones says Los Angeles wouldn’t be spared, either. From the L.A. Times:

Historically, major temblors have struck the Coachella Valley every 150 years, on average, but for reasons no one can explain, it’s been quiet for 300 years.

“Whatever it is that makes for a long interval is happening now, and we know that long interval can’t last forever,” Jones said. “This is an overdue fault.”

Stresses are building under the San Andreas and San Jacinto faults, which could cause the ground to move as fast as 10 feet a second during an earthquake. The Northridge quake in 1994 moved about 6 feet a second.

A likely scenario would have a magnitude-7.8 earthquake strike in the Salton Sea, extending north and west toward Palmdale. Jones predicted the shaking could last more than 100 seconds, kill thousands, destroy homes, collapse the I-10 and I-15 freeways, ignite petroleum pipelines and leave untold thousands homeless in potentially searing desert heat. The long-term effects, she said, could be akin to the economic collapse of New Orleans and the Gulf region following Hurricane Katrina.

Sleep well tonight! Are you prepared for the next serious earthquake? Perhaps Thursday morning’s 4.6 shaker should serve as a reminder.

Retro Friday: "Under the Desk! Under the Desk!"

I wasn’t even living in Los Angeles in 1987, but how can anyone forget the morning that then-KNBC morning anchor Kent Shocknek and weatherman Christopher Nance hid under the anchor desk during an earthquake aftershock. The best part? Kent urges the station’s camera operators to do the same. Cut to wide shot of the studio — the cameramen are still standing there, shooting the empty desk as Kent and Christopher hide.

Thanks to YouTube, we can now relive that great moment in local L.A. TV history. Even better, this is actually taken from an episode of “Late Night with David Letterman.” Dave gently mocks Kent and Christopher… but doesn’t have to say much, since their actions are pretty damn funny already.

How Were These Homes Ever Built?

Yikes. These Montecito Heights homes appear to be one earthquake away from just tumbling down the side of a hill. Not sure I would ever feel comfortable moving in. Clearly some engineer knew what he/she was doing, right? Guess we’ll check back when the big one hits.

Pics were taken by Walking in L.A., who continues to explore the city on foot, while snapping some awesome shots.

(Thanks to LA Voice for the pointer.)