Earthquake

No damage was reported after an earthquake of 5.4 shook Laguna Beach, as well as most of Southern California, at 11:42 a.m. Tuesday. The quake was centered in Chino Hills, east of Laguna, according to California Institute of Technology’s earthquake website. Initial reports measured it at 5.8, but it was quickly downgraded. The quake was the strongest in the area since the devastating 1994 Northridge earthquake, seismic experts said. The quake was felt in a wide area from Arizona to Nevada, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Tuesday’s earthquake, which sent many ducking for cover, is a good reminder that “the big one” is just a matter of time. This 5.4 quake was the biggest in the area since the devastating Northridge earthquake in 1994, which paralyzed large parts of Los Angeles and caused massive destruction in the San Fernando Valley and Santa Monica. Since that quake, seismic requirements for new construction have been significantly improved, and the general wisdom is that this accounts for the very low rate of damage from this very shaky temblor, which was centered in the Chino Hills of San Bernardino and felt from Burbank to Las Vegas.

Laguna Beach public safety officials were prepared to handle a two-foot surge along the oceanfront Tuesday evening, following a tsunami advisory, but the event did not happen. Two additional lifeguards were added to the roster after the National Weather Service issued the advisory for coastal California and Oregon following a huge earthquake in the Samoan Islands around 11 a.m. Pacific time. The tsunami was expected to hit the Pacific coast around 8 p.m. Tuesday. "We were expecting a two-foot [tidal]

Sanchez to keynote Crosscultural event Rep. Loretta Sanchez will be the guest of honor at a benefit event supporting South County Crosscultural Council’s humanitarian programs from 4 to 7 p.m. July 20 at the home of Herb and Mary Rabe in Laguna Beach. The cost is $75 per person or $125 per couple. Sanchez will be speaking 6 p.m. For reservations, call David Peck at (949) 497-3936. Donations can be mailed to the Crosscultural Council, P.O. Box 520, Laguna Beach, CA 92652.

Laguna Beach was rattled by an earthquake, measured at 4.9, that shook a wide swath of Southern California at 1:53 p.m. Thursday. The quake was centered in Yucaipa in San Bernardino County, according to seismologists. Some reportedly ran out of downtown offices, but others stayed put until the shaking stopped. No injuries were reported, but a geologist had a scarey moment when he was 60 feet down into a hole on Flamingo Road in the center of the Bluebird Canyon landslide zone, said Capt.

Laguna Beach will back San Clemente's appeals to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to ensure that San Onofre works to prevent a disaster similar to the one last year in Fukushima, Japan. The City Council on Feb. 7 voted 4 to 1 to send a letter to the commission requesting the resolution of public concerns before consideration is given to extending San Onofre's operating license, which is due to expire in 2022. The letter had been requested by San Clemente Mayor Lori Donchak, but the action might be moot.

Beaches in Laguna Beach have been reopened after a tsunami advisory issued early Friday morning following a 8.9 earthquake that struck Japan last night. [Update: The city did not sustain any damage associated with the tsunami, City Manager John Pietig wrote in his Friday Update. ] A series of waves about 2 feet high were expected to hit the coast for a three-hour period beginning at 8:39 a.m., according to Pietig in a separate statement. The city opened an emergency operations center as a precautionary measure.

A “moderate” earthquake of 5.4 shook Laguna Beach, as well as most of Southern California, at 11:42 p.m. today. The quake was centered in Chino Hills, about 15 miles east of Laguna, according to preliminary reports from Caltech’s earthquake website. The quake was initially measured at 5.8 but was downgraded about an hour later. Numerous aftershocks were also reported in the quake zone. Offices in downtown Laguna Beach emptied out as people tried to get away from windows and the possibility of falling debris.

It's a positive sign that the Board of Governors of South Coast Medical Center has changed its position about wanting to move the hospital out of Laguna. But it's clear that the hospital isn't out of the woods yet. Less than two years ago, the board had gone so far as to peruse alternative sites before alarmed community members took action and convinced the board that staying in Laguna would be best. The community desperately wants the hospital -- and its vital emergency room -- to be here in perpetuity.

Punctuation marks. Exclamation points! Questions? The oft-overused comma. We use these tools to construct language sets that define our lives. We mark them by events — some personal, some global — that affect our psyches in unforgettable ways. Our first kiss. Graduation. Marriage. The births of our children. An accident. A hospital stay. Earthquakes. Tornadoes. Mudslides. How often does someone ask you, “Where were you, or what were you doing when ...?