SCV REACTS TO THE ATTACK.

Byline: Eugene Tong Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - For Sally Angel, a local resident who has relatives in London and frequently visits, the exultation shared Wednesday from that city's successful 2012 Olympic bid now smolders in silence.

``Yesterday, we were all so joyous, planning seven years out as to which Olympic event we wanted to attend, and today ...'' the president of the Santa Clarita Youth Orchestra wrote in an e-mail Thursday.

Many Americans and expatriates know the British capital through friends, family or cherished memories, and Thursday's transport bombing unfolding an ocean away left a mix of sorrow and resolve.

The four coordinated explosions struck three subway trains and a double-decker bus during morning rush hour, killing at least 37 people and injuring more than 700. The attack came during the summit of the Group of Eight industrialized nations taking place in Scotland, and a day after London was selected to host the 2012 summer games.

Peter Bowes, a BBC News Los Angeles correspondent and Canyon Country resident, got word of the attack in an e-mail early Thursday. He has worked for the broadcaster for 18 years, including a stint in the west end of London a few miles from the blast sites.

``The first reaction when you're a long way from home is how people you know are doing,'' he said. ``It's pretty horrific, in terms of thinking about the worst that could have happened. ... It's a very small, tight community. It's the media capital and business capital of the (United Kingdom).''

Still, Bowes believes London - and all of Britain - will overcome this latest adversity.

``There is a tremendous resilience of the British people, especially going back to the last world war,'' he said. ``There is the approach of the British people that we will get through this. The only thing it will do is stiffen resolve to fight terrorism.''

As home to both Shakespeare and Madonna, London occupies a significant place in the American psyche - a place rich with history and culture forever intertwined with the United States in trans-Atlantic kinship.

Santa Clarita travel agent Kelli Alexander said about 30 percent of her international bookings are London-bound, a cross section that includes college students and seniors.

``It's a huge destination,'' said Alexander, who serves customers both locally and in Brentwood. ``Americans feel it's an extension of home. Normally they feel very secure and have good support there. The same language helps, of course, and they're not French - that's a bonus.

``There's everything there in London for young and old because of the history, and yet it's very trendy.''

Stella Ozolims, 68, of Sunland grew up in London and immigrated to the United States in 1967. She last visited about four years ago and watched sadly from afar.

``It's not right,'' said Ozolims, a regional president of the Daughters of the British Empire - a nonprofit charity made up of women of British and Commonwealth descent. ``You're just helpless, aren't you? It doesn't matter where it happens in the world. You're helpless.''

Barbara Stearns-Cochran, 68, of Newhall has been trying to reach a cousin there all day, though all she heard were busy signals. She takes comfort in the adage ``no news is good news.''

``I'm assuming because the lines are in so much use,'' said Stearns-Cochran, who was born in London and immigrated here in 1947. ``I truly believe if something was that bad or devastating, I would've heard by now, somehow.''

Eugene Tong, [phone]

eugene.tong(at)dailynews.com