California: Earthquake shakes Long Beach

[Pastor Dale Morgan]

Great Earthquakes In Diverse Places

California: Earthquake shakes Long Beach

November 5, 2010 | 10:27 am
LA NOW


A 3.7 magnitude earthquake jolted Long Beach and parts of northern Orange County shortly after 9 a.m. today, but there were no immediate reports of damage, and some people said they weren't even sure what they were feeling.

Jory Bentley, 24, an accountant who lives in Long Beach, said she felt something but was not sure it was an earthquake.

"I live in an old building," Bentley said. "I thought someone slammed a door."

Mindy Ruess, a dog groomer at Wags to Whiskers in Long Beach, said that while she felt the earthquake, none of the dogs at the shop had any reaction.

"I thought a truck was rolling by, but then I felt the whole room roll in the same motion," Ruess said.

She quickly phoned home and learned that her own dog had warned her partner of the coming quake just before it occurred.

At the Staples office supply story on Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach, cashier Nancy Rios said the quake lasted about 30 seconds but caused no damage.

"There was a loud noise that shook the roof. The lights on the ceiling were swaying," she said. "It was a back and forth kind of feeling."

The quake appears to have been centered around the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Anaheim Street in Long Beach, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was originally listed as a 3.8 magnitude earthquake, but has been downgraded to 3.7.