Shake, rattle and rollers
By Lenny Roberts

The earthquake that rocked central California at 11:15:56 Monday morning rolled through the Ojai Valley without doing any reported damage. It was felt from the San Francisco Bay area to Orange County and Bullhead City, Ariz., according to the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.C. Berkeley Seismological Laboratory.

The magnitude 6.5 tremor, followed by scores of aftershocks, was centered 10 miles north of Cambria in San Luis Obispo County. But most of the damage was limited to Paso Robles, where two women were killed when that community's historic clock tower collapsed.

Though less intense than the 6.7 1994 Northridge earthquake, Monday's shaker equaled the devastating Sylmar event in February 1971.

According to the USGS Web site, many buildings collapsed or severely damaged at Paso Robles. Templeton officials reported damage and one person was injured. Buildings were damaged and small fires occurred at Cambria and Morro Bay. The airport at Oceano was closed due to cracks in the runway. More than 10,000 homes and businesses were without power in the Paso Robles area.

Locally, while initial information was being evaluated, county firefighters were ordered to remove fire engines and other apparatus from their stations to protect them in the event of additional tremors.

Belinda Williams, Sheriff's Service Technician assigned to the Ojai Police Station, said no burglar alarms were activated, and few calls were received

"Just four or five," she said, "nothing like the sonic boom day last week when Vandenberg sent something into orbit.

For information on earthquake preparedness, click here

© 2003 The Ojai Valley News

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