A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck Southern California, stopping everyone in their tracks, including a high school production of Bye Bye Birdie. INSIDE EDITION explains.
It was the moment of sheer terror that whole country is talking about as a powerful earthquake rocked a high school right in the middle of a performance of the musical Bye Bye Birdie.
An announcement stated, "Ladies and gentlemen, remain seated. We just had a major earthquake!"
Students from Brea Olinda High School outside Los Angeles were onstage when the quake hit.
One student said, "They don't really tell you what to do on stage during an earthquake. At first I was like, 'We have to keep going.' Then, it got really bad and dust started falling."
The quake, with a magnitude of 5.1 struck Southern California on Friday evening and was followed by more than 150 aftershocks over the weekend. One of those aftershocks actually struck while Caltech seismologist Lucy Jones was explaining what happened.
Jones told INSIDE EDITION, "Several times during the actual interviews, we had our early warning system go off with the aftershocks, because we had 50 aftershocks that night."
Watch INSIDE EDITION's Interview with Jones
Californians jolted by the earthquake took selfies while the ground was still shaking.
One woman posted a video online saying, "From now on, I am going to have go to sleep with a full outfit and make-up on and everything because you never know when you are going to have to go running outside."
Some guys were lounging on a couch when their dogs took off in panic.
It even jolted the baseball game at Dodger Stadium.
A KABC reporter got caught in an aftershock while doing a live report.
It all happened less than a week after an earthquake with a 4.4 magnitude hit Los Angeles in the midst of the early morning news broadcasts. That quake memorably sent an anchorman diving under his desk for safety.
The new earthquake occurred on the Puente Hills fault line which runs under the skyscrapers of downtown Los Angeles and seismologists say a stronger quake could trigger a catastrophic disaster.
Jones said, "Location, location, location works in earthquakes as well as real estate. When you are right on top of it, it is more dangerous."
Julianne Sexton dislocated her shoulder during Bye Bye Birdie. She plays Kim MacAfee, the role that made Ann Margret a star. She told INSIDE EDITION, "Someone bashed into me and I managed to hit my shoulder on the couch."
They recreated the song they were singing when the earthquake hit to prove the show must go on!
The quake caused the cancellation of the last performance of the show which was meant to be a fundraiser to send the class to a national "Fame" competition in Chicago.
To help the students from Brea Olinda High School attend the competition, go to www.breachoir.org.
