A magnitude-4.1 earthquake struck two miles north of Yorba Linda tonight, but there were no immediate reports of damage, even inside that city's police department.
The earthquake at 8:17 p.m. was felt in cities such as Los Alamitos, Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo, Fountain Valley, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Niguel and San Juan Capistrano, according to the US Geological Survey.
A spokesman at Caltech said the earthquake did not appear to be out of the normal range.
Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Marc Stone said that he heard of no damage or problems, but pointed out that the temblor was ``a reminder to be
prepared for a large earthquake where you might be on your own for 72 hours.''
``You should always have a plan where you might be on your own, with no power, for as long as 72 hours,'' he said.
In this case, he said fire engines were being moved out of the stations in case there should be more problems, and fire trucks would be out on the streets tonight ``being the eyes and ears'' of the department.
In a serious earthquake, they would be checking on serious problems, and
reporting back.
``Sometimes it takes a small earthquake to remind us that we live in earthquake country,'' Stone said.
- City News Service
