Quake a ‘wake-up call’

South county damage minimal, but officials stress importance of preparedness.

By SALLY CAPPON
South Coast Beacon

South Coast residents, who have been spared seismic shaking for nearly a decade since the January 1994, Northridge quake, got a lesson Monday that this is still earthquake country.

But except for sporadic power outages and darkened traffic signals, Santa Barbara escaped serious damage from the 6.5 earthquake that jolted the Central California coast at 11:16 a.m.

The quake was centered six miles northeast of San Simeon, near the landmark Hearst Castle, 130 miles northwest of Santa Barbara. Capriciously, the temblor aimed its deadly fury at Paso Robles, 25 miles from the epicenter, where two women were killed when a roof collapsed in the downtown area. Numerous buildings in the northern San Luis Obispo County city of 20,000 were damaged, including a 111-year-old landmark clock tower.

The quake was felt from Santa Rosa south to Oceanside, and as far east as Bullhead City, Ariz., the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

On the South Coast, the temblor was generally felt as a swaying motion. Comparing the tremor to a boat on a choppy lake, Santa Barbara County Fire Capt. Charlie Johnson said, “It rocked and rolled and pitched. It wasn’t violent at all.’’

Nonetheless, the unusually long shaking, timed at 45 seconds by one resident, sent office workers running out into streets in downtown Santa Barbara or scurrying under interior doorways. A few objects fell from walls and ceiling lights swayed, some violently.

A stuck elevator was reported at UCSB but occupants got out safely, Johnson said.

“This is a wake-up call,’’ he said. “It got people’s attention.’’

In Santa Barbara, fire equipment and crews moved from fire stations to survey areas of the city and to touch base with the public, Battalion Chief John Ahlman said. There were a couple transformer fires, he said. The traffic signal at Chapala and Haley streets was out but, “Everybody was polite. They all did what they were supposed to do, use it as a four-way stop.’’

Damage increased nearer the epicenter. A Santa Ynez Valley resident reported water sloshed from an aquarium and minor plaster damage.

Buildings were damaged in Santa Maria and Guadalupe, the Santa Maria Times reported. In Santa Maria, the Town Center mall was closed for several hours to check minor damage. The Abel Maldonado Youth Center, City Hall and Paul Nelson Aquatic Center, near the Santa Maria courthouse where Michael Jackson is to be arraigned Jan. 16, had minor-to-moderate damage, the newspaper reported.

Santa Maria and Lompoc both had significant problems with power outages and reports of gas leaks, as well as damage to buildings in Lompoc, Johnson said. County firefighters responded to 57 calls on Monday, twice the normal number. Marian Medical Center in Santa Maria lost electrical power and was on emergency power for several hours, spokeswoman Kathleen Hernandez said. Hospital operations were not affected, she said.

Hearst Castle reportedly suffered little damage but the noted tourist attraction was evacuated. Monday’s northbound and southbound Amtrak Coast Starlights, which stop in Santa Barbara and Paso Robles, were held up until the tracks could be inspected, but made it through, while running late, an Amtrak spokeswoman said. Runway cracks closed the airport at Oceano, the USGS reported. Oceano, built on sand, had extensive damage.

In Paso Robles, rescuers found the bodies of Jennifer Myrick, 19, of Atascadero, and Marilyn Zafuto, 55, of Paso Robles, on a sidewalk beneath bricks and debris.

Santa Barbara County fire engineer Howard Orr and his search dog, Duke, went to Paso Robles to search the debris for more victims. Duke was able to search areas firefighters couldn’t get to because of danger of collapse, but found nothing, Johnson said.

Ironically, Monday’s quake came just one day after the 191st anniversary of a major earthquake on Dec. 21, 1812, which destroyed the Santa Barbara Mission and severely damaged the missions at La Purisima and Santa Ynez. A large wave reportedly carried a ship up the canyon at Refugio, and then returned it to the ocean as the wave retreated.

The San Simeon temblor Monday occurred about five miles below the surface, the USGS reported. It was still unknown what fault triggered the quake in the largely rural coastal range near Lake Nacimiento. The epicenter lies some 45 miles west of the infamous San Andreas Fault. Aftershocks continued Monday and Tuesday.

“It was a good experience for people to think about things to do,’’ said Johnson, noting the county fire department offers a Community Emergency Response Training course. “We need to get people to the point where they do things for themselves.’’

Survival tips online

Earthquake survival tips are available through the American Red Cross www.redcross.org.