It was a typical Monday at the Lincoln Heights Senior Center, until the ground started to shake.
Anthony Montiel, the facility's director, said the seniors handled it more calmly than he did.
“I am more afraid than anyone, because they are older people and have more life experience,” Montiel said, laughing.
“It felt like a truck had hit the building,” he said of the 4.4-magnitude quake centered in El Sereno. “It was like a strong jolt that lasted a few seconds, and nothing like a continuous earthquake.”
Monday's quake, centered near a senior center northeast of Los Angeles, caused little damage and no injuries. But the quake, though moderate, left many people shaken.
In Highland Park, windows rattled, dogs barked and coffee spilled from a table. Elsewhere in Alhambra, pictures fell off a shelf, drawers swung open and shoes were thrown from a coat rack.
The quake struck at 12:20 p.m. Its preliminary epicenter was in El Sereno, about 1,000 feet southwest of Huntington Drive and Collis Avenue.
The quake caused a water main to burst at Pasadena City Hall, where water leaked for about an hour before it was shut off, city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.
It also caused a problem with the building's elevators, with one employee stuck in one of the cars for about 20 minutes before being let out. The elevators will remain closed until they can be repaired.
The fire department is conducting surveys throughout the city and an engineer is being sent to the Rose Bowl as a precaution to assess any problems.
Residents should take the earthquake as a reminder to always be prepared for a major disaster.
“This could be a precursor to a larger earthquake. We want people to be prepared, not scared,” Derderian said.
Darlene Hampton, a senior office assistant in the Pasadena city manager's office, was assisting a resident at City Hall when the shaking began.
“She was having a bad day,” Hampton said of the resident. “I was able to calm her down and we were just like, ‘Everything’s going to be OK, right?’ And then the earthquake hit. But we were also praying a little bit.”
All employees and customers were able to safely exit the building, Hampton said, and wait outside until the fire department arrived.
“The funny thing is that as she was walking out the door I said to her, “Do you see how quickly God works?”
