Strong Earthquake Hits Los Angeles 

6:57 AM PDT 3/17/2014 by THR Staff

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The 4.4 magnitude quake was centered 5.6 miles north-northwest of Westwood.

A strong earthquake hit Los Angeles early Monday morning. The 4.4 magnitude quake hit at 6:25 a.m. PT at a depth of about five miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

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The quake was centered 5 miles north-northwest of Westwood, 6 miles northwest of Beverly Hills, 7 miles west of Universal City, 7 miles north of Santa Monica and 2 miles south-southeast of Encino, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

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The Los Angeles Fire Department tweeted that it has received no immediate reports of injury or damage.

The quake was reportedly felt as far away as Camarillo, about 55 miles northwest of Los Angeles, and Palmdale, about 63 miles north of L.A. At least one aftershock occurred, about an hour after the initial quake.

"Today's earthquake is a reminder that every L.A. family must be prepared with food, water and other essentials, as well as a plan," Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement. "While it appears the greatest impact of this temblor was a rude awakening, we are executing our post-earthquake protocols to survey our neighborhoods and critical infrastructure. I have been briefed by my science adviser for seismic safety, Dr. Lucy Jones, and will continue to monitor the situation."

For their West Coast broadcasts, NBC's Today and CBS This Morning both led with news of the earthquake before segueing into coverage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.

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KABC, meanwhile, pre-empted Good Morning America to stick with local coverage of the earthquake, including offering tips of earthquake preparedness and interviews with residents who felt the quake.

The other local news stations -- including KTTV, KCAL and KTLA -- also continued to cover the event throughout the morning interspersed with reports on other local and national news. KTLA was broadcasting live when the quake hit (watch the video below).

The incident seemed to wake up, and scare, several stars, with many tweeting about the quake. Among those shaken up were Justin Bieber's manager Scooter Braun, Ryan Seacrest, Elizabeth Banksand Christina Applegate.

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