Impact
The Chino Hills earthquake caused no deaths or significant damage due to the physical location of its epicenter. Most of the infrastructure in the Chino Hills area is relatively new and well suited to withstand a large quake. Unlike previous earthquakes in the region—such as the 1994 Northridge earthquake and the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake, which caused serious structural damage and fatalities—this quake caused only minor damage. However, the high volume of telephone use following the shock overloaded provider capacity and disrupted service into the afternoon.
Amusement rides at Disneyland, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Universal Studios Hollywood and Knott's Berry Farm were evacuated and temporarily shut down. California State University, Fullerton suffered some damage in its older, inadequately engineered buildings. In Orange, the Chapman University School of Law was evacuated after a water pipe was ruptured. Pipes on a Macy's department store in Westfield Topanga ruptured during the tremor flooding the store which closed for a couple of days in order to be repaired. A light fixture damaged by the shock started a small fire in the Westfield MainPlace Mall in Santa Ana; since the fire was in an empty movie theater, nobody was harmed.
A gap was reported on California State Route 91 near Anaheim Hills, approximately 7 miles (11 km) southwest of the epicenter, but the California Department of Transportation concluded that the gap did not pose a danger. A minor landslide near the freeway caused some traffic congestion, but no injuries or structural damage were reported. Caltrans replaced an expansion joint on an Interstate 5 truck overpass at the El Toro Y Interchange. The roof of Placentia's public library nearly collapsed; afterwards, the building was closed for repairs.
Electrical outages were reported in Chino, Chino Hills, Diamond Bar and Pomona. Over 2,000 people lost power after a fire broke out at a La Habra power station, but electricity was restored that afternoon. Los Angeles International Airport reported a ground radar system outage along with a broken water heater, causing flooding in the checked luggage preparation area of Terminal 7. Minor injuries from falling ceiling tiles were reported at a medical clinic in Brea.
Read more about this topic: 2008 Chino Hills Earthquake
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