Anyone ever been in an earthquake? What was it like?

Answer 1

I was living in Conago Park, Calif. in 1971 when a fairly large quake hit the San Fernando Valley. In that one several hospitals collapsed including the veterans hospital. It was my first earthquake and the condo I was living in was dancing up and down and side to side. I could hear glass breaking in the living room kitchen area. My bedroom door was blocked by a lamp falling across it. I spent the next 3 days of after shocks sleeping in my clothes with my shoes on in case I had to get out of the building in a hurry. On the 4th day after, it rained and muddy water ran down the inside wall of my condo. Found out the outer wall was separated from the roof leaving about a 4 inch gap 2 stories above me. The biggest problem I had besides the fear of the aftershocks, was fresh drinking water. The water coming out of the tap was mud. Over the next 20 years of living in California, I became more adapted to the ground shaking but never liked it very well.

Answer 2

I live in central Mexico, and earthquakes happen all the time.

Call me a freak, but I like them :S, but only when I'm in a outdoor open space or in my house. I have never been in a big scale earthquake (like the one in Mexico City in 1985, i was born just one month later). But there are some people who simply freak out, others who burst into tears... I mean... there are very diverse reactions to earthquakes.

Answer 3

I've been in that situation.
I lived at jakarta, indonesia. I was happening in the afternoon when i was watching television.
Firstly, i didnt notice a thing about earthquake but i felt the couch i was on, was moving. I thought that someone pushed it from behind but no one's there. Then i heard my neighbours were screwing around.
And i realized that is earthquake.
If u r not sure whether it is earthquake or not, look at the water and u'll know

Answer 4

I have been in 2 big ones. I live near Los Angeles and we had one in 1971 and one in 1994. They terrify me. I had a hard time sleeping after the '71. Physically, the earth seems to bounce up and down really fast kinda.

Answer 5

I experienced two, light tremors. Everything vibrated for a few seconds and it was over. It was like trying to maintain your balance on a moving train.