The Sunnyvale Sun

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Strong temblor shakes up Sunnyvale council

By Cody Kraatz

The Sunnyvale City Council meeting on Oct. 30 was interrupted when a 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck.

The shaking, the strongest to hit the Bay Area since the magnitude 6.9 Loma Prieta quake in 1989, started just after 8 p.m. and lasted about 10 seconds.

The council chambers rocked and rolled and windows rattled, sending people scrambling out the door and under desks. But there was no damage.

The quake's epicenter was nine miles northeast of downtown San Jose.

"We don't have any reports of any damage in our city, nothing substantial," said John Pilger, Sunnyvale spokesman, adding that no emergency action needed to be taken.

Shortly after the shaking ended, Mayor Otto Lee peeked out from under his desk on the dais, where he apparently dove during the quake, the smartest thing to do in an earthquake.

Councilman Chris Moylan walked back into the council chambers after bolting during the quake, while people checked in with their families. "What happened to the evacuation?" he said.

Experts don't recommend that people go outside during an earthquake, saying it is safer to stay inside and take cover under something sturdy, or at least to duck and cover the head.

For more on earthquake safety, visit www.redcross.org/services/disaster and click on disaster safety.