Have you ever been in an earthquake?

Question

what´s your felling about that experence?

Answer 1

Yes, I've been through 2 big ones - Sylmar in 1971 and Northridge in 1993/4 (don't remember the exact year). In 1971, I was 7 and we lived in Sylmar, which was the approximate epicenter. As a little kid it was very scary. I remember holding on to the sides of my bed as it bounced around on the tile floor. I still remember the sound of the wooden legs of the bed as they kept hitting the tile. It shook (HARD) for, I believe, 30 seconds or so. Our house stood up, but everything in it broke. Our water, gas, electric, & phone were out for a while. We had to bathe with water we brought back from our friends' swimming pool and my dad had to dig a hole in the back yard to serve as our toilet. I think somewhere around 60 people died in that one. It was quite an experience. During the Northridge quake I was living several miles from the epicenter, but everything still broke. This time I remember seeing blue flashes from electrical wires swinging into each other outside and every car alarm in L.A. going off at the same time. Having been through a big one already, I knew how dangerous they were and I was probably MORE scared than during the first one. Not fun. Of course I've also been through dozens of small quakes and I always kind of sit there, paralyzed, waiting to see if they'll turn into a big one.

Answer 2

I live in San Francisco, so I've been in several. I missed the big one on 10/17/89, because I was visiting Mom and other relatives on the East Coast. None of my friends were damaged by it. It is a rather scary experience to feel the building shaking all around you. The first noticeable one I recall hit at 2:39 AM or so. I was in my home but still awake. I ran outside and stayed there, for I knew there'd be an after shock. It's more pleasant to be outdoors when there's a quake. There have been many small ones that I didn't even notice. I just heard about them. Maybe someone in one part of town felt a good shake, but I didn't where I was. I recall coming home one evening, and a neighbor asked me what I thought of the quake. I said, "What quake?"

Answer 3

The first earthquake I was ever in was a bit scary to me. I had just laid down to bed, and then then bed started shaking. I thought how strange it was that the bed was shaking, since I was in it alone. I could hear stuff rattling on the shelves and this strange roar. As the earthquake moved away, I could hear the roar moving away as well.
I jumped up from the bed, ran to the windows to see if anyone else in the neighborhood felt it, but it seemed I was the only one disturbed by it. I had to turn on the TV to make sure it really was an earthquake I had felt. It definitely was.
Since then, the earthquakes I've been through haven't scared me like the first one. I know for sure now what they are, and what they feel like.

Answer 4

There was a minor earthquake or two here in Manchester a few years back. The first time it felt like a massive truck had hit the house - the building shook and it was WEIRD!

Later that night I was on the computer when the desk shook and the computer jumped - I thought I'd hit the underside of the table with my knee, but that wouldn't have been enough to move the heavy computer. Turned out it was another mini-quake...

I've never been in a California-sized quake though...I'm prepared with the knowledge but one can never be totally prepared for something unexpected, can they?

Answer 5

The only earthquake I was ever in was on new years day 2000 at 2 am it freaked my husband the thought that the fortune tellers were right that the world was coming to an end.

We live in northern Canada and there had never been an earthquake before or since.

Answer 6

Yes, there was an earthquake when I was in Turkey 2 years ago. It didnt really affect us but the room shook a little bit and some glasses fell off a shelf. I didnt even realise what it was at the time cos I was in bed!

Answer 7

I wasn't in "the earthquake" just the tremors. The earthquake was about 40 miles away. I was sitting on the couch watching TV and I felt this shaking under me. I thought it was a big dump truck, because they were doing construction in my subdivision at the time. I looked out the window, and no truck. I thought WTF was that?

Then I saw the scrolling at the bottom of the TV, it was an earthquake.

Answer 8

Yes a Mini one which effected the Midlands area some years ago. Was at work on top floor of building and it seemed to shake and I went sort of dizzy and disorientated and had to sit down. Really odd feeling.

The next time was in Turkey on holiday. I was lying in bed with a bit of gastric flu when the whole bed started shaking - wierd!

Answer 9

There was an earthquake in Michigan about 6 years ago.
I was in a meeting at work and my chair started feeling jiggly.
I looked at my friend because I thought she was messing around but she just looked at me like What?
I found out later there had been a small earthquake.
My feelings about it were very surprised.

Answer 10

Yes, about 6 they are fairly common in the UK but tend to go unnoticed as they are low on the Richter scale. We had one at level 3 on the scale about 5 years ago that did some damage in North West England.