Nuclear power plant remains intact after strong quake
LOS ANGELES, Apr 05, 2010 -- Xinhua
A nuclear power plant in Southern California remained intact after a
7.2-magnitude earthquake shook the region on Sunday, authorities said.
The temblor did not result in the shutdown of the San Onofre Nuclear
Generating Station in the region, said Southern California Edison, a
public electricity facility.
The nuclear plant is built to withstand a 7.0 earthquake 5 miles (8 km)
away, according to San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E).
The earthquake caused "low-level ground movement" at the nuclear
plant, said spokesman Gil Alexander.
"The movement was not sufficient to prompt a shut-down, but it did
trigger a regulatory protocol ...(and) plant personnel have begun
inspections conducted in such situations," Alexander said. "Operators
would be able to shut the units down without any danger to the public.
Today's quake occurred several hundred miles from the facility."
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) measured the quake at 7.2 magnitude,
correcting its previous measurement of 6.9 magnitude. The quake struck
in Baja California, Mexico, southeast of Mexicali, at 5:40 p.m. (2240
GMT), according to the USGS.
The shaker rocked all of Southern California, and sent high rise
buildings in Los Angeles and San Diego rocking back and forth.
Nearly 2,400 customers lost power in Dana Point, just inside the Orange
County line near Los Angeles, according to Jennifer Ramp of SDG&E.
In San Diego County, more than 600 customers lost power in Borrego
Springs when the earthquake struck, Ramp said.
Smaller outages were also reported in some areas in Southern California.
Three strong jolts including a magnitude-5.1 aftershock were felt in the
Imperial County desert east of San Diego in the hour after the
magnitude-7.2 quake struck.
Magnitude-4.5 and magnitude-4.3 aftershocks came before and after.
In Los Angeles, five stalled elevators were reported, but it was unknown
whether any of the incidents were related to the quake, said Erik Scott
of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The city fire department went on earthquake status, and is inspecting
buildings and overpasses for damage, he said.
City fire helicopter crews report that they have finished an initial
assessment and see no damage, no fires, and all reservoirs are holding
water normally.
The earthquake was also felt in Phoenix and Las Vegas, residents there
said.
A police dispatcher in Yuma, Arizona, said the quake was very strong
there, but no damage was reported.
The epicenter for the quakes was under a small volcanic caldera that
last erupted about 10,000 years ago, located about 20 miles ( 32
kilometers) southeast of the border crossing between Calexico,
California, and Mexicali, Mexico.
The caldera, which is home to a large geothermal power plant, has been
delivering small-to-moderate quakes for the past several months.
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