Earthquake

A magnitude 3.5 earthquake hit the Newport Beach area early Thursday morning. The temblor occurred at 2:56 a.m. in the San Joaquin Hills area about two miles from Newport Beach and four miles from Irvine. It was felt over a large swath of Orange County, mostly notably Irvine and the South County region, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There were no reports of damage. —From LATimes.com Twitter: @LATimes

"And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. " — I Kings 19:12 (KJV) Recently, I've answered many questions from readers about God and evil. Many people wanted to know how a good and powerful God could be reconciled with the profound and proliferating instances of evil in the world. Now, the earthquake and tsunami in Japan has sent shudders across our planet — and our lives — putting a bloody edge to such agonizing questions about God and goodness.

COSTA MESA - What caused a 10-ton tree to fall on a woman's car while she waited at a stop light remained unclear to public safety officials and seismic and horticultural experts Friday. But theories - from moist soil to trimmed roots to this week's earthquake - emerged from the tragedy that claimed Haeyoon Miller, 29, who died following the impact on 17th Street and Irvine Avenue on Thursday afternoon. A 3.5 earthquake that took place off Newport Beach about 2:56 a.m. Thursday may have played a role, though there easily could have been other contributing factors, according to Lisa Grant Ludwig, a UC Irvine seismologist.

California's first recorded earthquake, felt by the Spanish in 1769 and measured by the length of Hail Marys they could utter, may have been powerful enough to raise the Orange County shoreline more than 11 feet in some places, UC Irvine researchers say. The "severe" earthquake, described in Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portola's diary, may have had a 7.3 magnitude, significantly larger than the 6.7-magnitude Northridge earthquake...

Nerves were frayed and walls were shaken, but little else was damaged in Newport-Mesa Sunday night after a 4.7-magnitude earthquake centered out of Los Angeles County rumbled through Southern California. Costa Mesa and Newport Beach’s firefighters and police departments saw an uptick in calls immediately following the 8:39 p.m. earthquake, most calling to see what was going on and if everything was OK, officials said. No damage or power outages were reported from the evening temblor.

Costa Mesa wants to remind residents during National Preparedness Month that earthquakes hit without warning and the consequences can be brutal. The best defense is to have emergency supplies stored up and action plans set up for families, businesses and schools. Partnering with the Earthquake Country Alliances ?Dare to Prepare? campaign for the month of September, city officials have issued a safety video and reading materials online. Officials suggest you get an emergency supply kit, make a plan to protect yourselves and stay informed with various techniques and safety issues.

COSTA MESA — When Aidan Rowe, 8, had his birthday last week, he decided some things were more important than presents. For his March 20 party, he asked his second-grade classmates at the Waldorf School in Costa Mesa to give him donations for the relief efforts in Japan. Over the past week, he's raised more than $1,000 with the help of his friends and their families. When asked why he wanted to help, the Newport Beach youngster said, "Since the tsunami and the earthquake … and since I like Japan a lot. " His mother, Chiyo Rowe, said that because the children learn Japanese in school, many of them feel a close connection to Japan.

It’s a whisper that started with shaking. I felt as if God whispered a message to me beginning with the recent earthquake. I’ve pondered the message as if I have just enough knowledge of another language to know there are exciting words involved, but I don’t quite have the actual translation. I’m perplexed, but impressed that a message is bubbling up deep from my soul, and the message is good. Part of the message is that God is good, gloriously good, and totally beyond comprehension.

Beach Pit BBQ will donate all of its proceeds from meal sales Thursday to the Haitian earthquake relief effort. Tim DeCinces, founder and manager of the restaurant, is giving proceeds from his locations in Costa Mesa, Tustin and Orange to Peace Relief, a local organization leaving this week on a humanitarian mission to Haiti. DeCinces was inspired by his 9-year-old daughter, Delaney, who raised $85 from a bake sale for post-earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. The Costa Mesa Beach Pit BBQ location is at: 1676 Tustin Ave. Costa Mesa 92627 (949)

After following news accounts of the earthquake that devastated Haiti last month, Newport Beach pediatrician Sandy Lee wanted to help, but didn’t know how. In the days immediately after the quake, emergency room doctors and trauma specialists were in demand, but not pediatricians. A month and a half later, Haitian earthquake victims are facing health issues related to overcrowding and poor sanitation, Lee said. “Even though I’m not a trauma surgeon or an ER doctor, a lot of these kinds of more general-medicine issues will start coming up because of the poor living conditions there,” she said.

The western part of Southern California is highly susceptible to earthquakes and their effects. Numerous fault lines crisscross southern California and no one within the region lives more than 10 miles from an active fault. At 10:20 a.m. Oct. 20, the Costa Mesa Donald Dungan Library, 1855 Park Ave., will participate in the 2011 Southern California Shakeout, the largest earthquake drill in United States history. The purpose of the drill is to motivate Southern Californians to be prepared for a big earthquake and to prevent disasters from becoming catastrophes.

COSTA MESA - What caused a 10-ton tree to fall on a woman's car while she waited at a stop light remained unclear to public safety officials and seismic and horticultural experts Friday. But theories - from moist soil to trimmed roots to this week's earthquake - emerged from the tragedy that claimed Haeyoon Miller, 29, who died following the impact on 17th Street and Irvine Avenue on Thursday afternoon. A 3.5 earthquake that took place off Newport Beach about 2:56 a.m. Thursday may have played a role, though there easily could have been other contributing factors, according to Lisa Grant Ludwig, a UC Irvine seismologist.

A magnitude 3.5 earthquake hit the Newport Beach area early Thursday morning. The temblor occurred at 2:56 a.m. in the San Joaquin Hills area about two miles from Newport Beach and four miles from Irvine. It was felt over a large swath of Orange County, mostly notably Irvine and the South County region, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There were no reports of damage. —From LATimes.com Twitter: @LATimes

As a tie-in to JapanOC, a portion of the proceeds from select screenings at the Newport Beach Film Festival will benefit the victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, a festival organizer announced Tuesday. Part of the money generated from ticket sales for closing-night screenings and films showcased in the JapanOC film series will benefit multiple charities' relief efforts, including the Japanese Red Cross Society, the Japanese affiliate of the International Red Cross, festival cofounder Todd Quartararo said.

COSTA MESA — When Aidan Rowe, 8, had his birthday last week, he decided some things were more important than presents. For his March 20 party, he asked his second-grade classmates at the Waldorf School in Costa Mesa to give him donations for the relief efforts in Japan. Over the past week, he's raised more than $1,000 with the help of his friends and their families. When asked why he wanted to help, the Newport Beach youngster said, "Since the tsunami and the earthquake … and since I like Japan a lot. " His mother, Chiyo Rowe, said that because the children learn Japanese in school, many of them feel a close connection to Japan.

"And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. " — I Kings 19:12 (KJV) Recently, I've answered many questions from readers about God and evil. Many people wanted to know how a good and powerful God could be reconciled with the profound and proliferating instances of evil in the world. Now, the earthquake and tsunami in Japan has sent shudders across our planet — and our lives — putting a bloody edge to such agonizing questions about God and goodness.

Following last week's earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Eberhard J. Wirfs, chairman of the Lions Club International Foundation, e-mailed this statement to club members: "Lions, we respond immediately, alongside our fellow Lions of Japan. Within hours of the disaster, Lions Clubs International Foundation committed over $1.25 million [or ¥101.07 million] … for immediate relief for Japan. This includes a major catastrophe grant, six emergency grants and designated donations from Lions worldwide.

NEWPORT BEACH — After a day of suspense and anticipation, Newport-Mesa residents were left with calm waters and heavy hearts for those in Japan hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami. People flocked to bluffs and other vantage points to see the seas change, but for the most part they could see no perceptible difference from any other sunny March day. Their schedules may have been affected, though. Authorities called residents at 4 a.m. to warn them of a coming tidal wave.

NEWPORT BEACH — Joe Ozaki rose out of bed Friday at six in the morning and turned on the TV. Watching the news is one of the first things the Japanese golfer does before he goes about his day. Ozaki was going to get ready to play in the Toshiba Classic at Newport Beach Country Club. Then what he saw on the news shook him up. For the first time, Ozaki learned a magnitude 8.9 earthquake hit his homeland. Living in Tokyo, he expects earthquakes. It is part of life in Japan.

Wear jeans and support the people of Chile, the country recently shaken up by a magnitude 8.8 earthquake, the fifth-largest temblor ever recorded. That’s what the University of Phoenix faculty and administrative staff in 14 learning centers across Southern California are doing. They’re paying to put their jeans on, the donations for which go toward Chile through the American Red Cross. At Costa Mesa’s University of Phoenix learning center, just off the 405 Freeway, nearly 80 administrators contributed either $10 to wear jeans for two straight days or $25 for the entire week, said Thomas White, project manager on campus.