I was in the 5.6 earthquake here in california this morning - quite interesting
By coffeebreak
@coffeebreak (17798)
United States
July 29, 2008 5:25pm CST
I've been in/near many - Whittier, Landers, Northridge - but this one was only about 10 miles south of me and It was a roller and a shaker!! I didn't think much of it at first - we have them and aftershocks all the time, but when it didn't stop rolling and then once it started shaking - I did get up and stood in the door way although they say that is not the best place to be, but it was quite interesting to feel the rolling and see the shaking. I was sure the book cases would fall forward, but neither did. the apt building (3 story, I'm on first floor) started swaying more after the shaker than it seemed to while shaking. It was intgeresting how that felt - i beig on ground level but could actually feel the sway of hte upper part of the building. Lasted about 45 seconds, doesn't sound like long but while you are thinking of other things besides time - it was a long time!
Later hearing on the radio and tv and seeing people (I went out to the local area on my errands) nad no one was really concerned about it - like "we're in southern california - earthquakes are a way of life, why get all upset!" kind of atmosphere. And while listening on the Radio it was like they are just digging holes trying to find something bad to report and they couldn't find anything! Turns out it was hardly any damage for that size quake and only 7-8 miles below the land level. They said it was due to the building issues making sure earthquake safety is always included in building the buildings these days, not like years gone by.
I heard only one siren in my town and that could have been anything - I hear them often anyway. Here's the details from the news....
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080729/ap_on_re_us/california_earthquake
4 people like this
15 responses
@danishcanadian (28955)
• Canada
29 Jul 08
Wow!!! That really sounds like something. I never really realized how many rieds I had in California until the earthquake struck, and all kinds of people I knew, tarted sending messages. Wow!!! :)
I'm glad you're OK.
3 people like this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
29 Jul 08
I guess I wouldn't have thought that either! Ya, we are fine - just glad to know that the buildings in the areas are being built so well. I was talking to the guy at the medical center that I went to right after the quake and he was telling me one side of the building was on rollers so it'd roll with the quake...I had heard about that kind of structure, but never really thought more about it. Good that it works!
2 people like this
@my52cents (569)
• United States
30 Jul 08
We just watched it on the news. So glad to know you're okay! The news people found places with shelves down and a little glass broken, but at least there were no injuries and thank God for that! I'm sure 45 seconds felt like an eternity in that situation. I'll pass. I'll stay in Arkansas and chance the tornadoes. At least we usually get a bit of warning with those!
2 people like this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
30 Jul 08
Yeah, there's absolutely no warnings for a quaker. I was watching the news nad later listening to the radio and the news casters were really scrambling to find something wrong or bad to report! The callers were just saying it was scary but no big deal kind of things and their own reporters only said, "well the lettuce didn't fall off the bins in the grocery, but a few cans of hair spray fell and rolled down the isle". It was actuallay a bit funny as here is this major natural destruction happeneing and no damage or injuries! Makes me feel good to know at least in this area we are pretty safe .. at least on the large scale. Worst I heard was a signal light went out and went to red all four ways! I can sleep tonight! It was realy interesting tho to feel it roll and the see things shake and feel the building swaying afterwards.
1 person likes this
@my52cents (569)
• United States
30 Jul 08
Well, I'm just glad this wasn't "the big one" and when that one comes, I hope you and yours are far away!
1 person likes this
@WhatsHerName (2716)
• United States
30 Jul 08
I'm glad all is well, now the news can get out there and find real news to report.
2 people like this
@WhatsHerName (2716)
• United States
30 Jul 08
Lol, this reminds me of a tornado that touched down here a time ago. The interrupted television all day waiting for damage and injuries. All they could come up with was a restaurant sign that had blown down. It showed me that they are good at making something out of nothing.
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
30 Jul 08
I know! I had to kind of chuckle as the news casters/reporters were really struggling to find something bad or wrong to report! No injuries, no damages, all was okay, and I could tell from hearing them so often reporting news, that they were really annoyed that the quake didn't produce anything for them to report!
1 person likes this
@arkaf61 (10881)
• Canada
30 Jul 08
Glad you're fine and that even though it so close and not that small there have been no damages. I firmly believe that in areas where shakes are common buildings need to comply with earthquake safety guidelines. Back home we don't usually have big ones - I can only remember a big one - but it does shake almost every day, small stuff that people hardly notice if at all. But at least in the area I lived in all buildings had to be built to a specific code and they were checked often.
The same with floods, although not the city itself, the area around were we lived is prone to seasonal flooding. HOwever, as opposed to in here, where when it rains a bit more the streets fill up with water, it's rare to see flooded streets in the city. The draining system was created with that in mind.
In any case. it's good to know you're fine and all is well :)
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
30 Jul 08
I credit the "no damage" nearly completely to the earthquake building codes of the last decade or so. Tall buildings on rollers and such - I am sure if this quake had happened 10 years ago, I'd be sitting in a pile of rubble since yesterday! They showed some pics on the news this morniing that people sent in and one was of a closet that the door opened and bunch of junk fell out (someones house) and I looked at it and thought "well, if it hadn't been piled and stuffed so full, it probably wouldn't have opened!" and another where they showed a corner store that sells "spirits" and only one bottle fell off and a costume jewlery store where the displays fell but from looking at them, all that would have done the trick any other time was a little curious child's hand and a slight tug!!
I think we all did very well - In your face, earthquake!
1 person likes this
@skinnychick (6905)
• United States
30 Jul 08
I lived in Seattle and we had one of this magnitude and it didn't do much damage either. Our apartment building was rocking like a boat. It's a crazy feeling and 45 seconds of an earthquake does seem like an eternity!! Glad all is well for you!
2 people like this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
30 Jul 08
45 seconds doesn't seem long, but as I was standing there watching everything shake, rattle and waited for it to roll and it never did - it was just interesting to actually see the benefits of the new earthquake building codes! And to know that I won't panic when the next one comes!
@skinnychick (6905)
• United States
30 Jul 08
I know it seems like an eternity doesn't it?? At least you know your building can handle a higher magnitude quake. That would make me feel much safer as well.
@cobrateacher (8432)
• United States
29 Jul 08
Thank God you're OK, Coffeebreak! According to the news reports, there were no injuries and very little damage. I don't understand how such a strong quake can do so little damage, but I'm truly grateful for it.
Do you get any realistic warnings? What you mentioned probably wouldn't feel much like warnings to most people. We get an occasional hurricane in Miami, but there's always plenty of warning to allow us to put up the shutters, stock up the house, or leave home to go someplace safer. Throughout my life, I've spent most bad hurricanes in the bathtub of the inner-most bathroom. Lesser 'canes are often great times to surf! Yes, I have gotten old since my surfer days, but I refuse to mature all that much. Waves of that magnitude are so rare in Miami these days!
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
30 Jul 08
There are absolutely NO WARNINGS of any kind for an earthquake. It happens instantly and abruptly. The only thing you can get is warning for aftershocks and possible other tremors once the quake actually stops but even then, you don't know when, just that when things start shaking or rolling - it is an after shock!
I think that we got so little damage this time because of the earthquake safety in building and the infrastructure of the area - buildings on rollers and such. And the bulidings in the areas and surrounding areas that were hit hardest are newer structures, like 90's and on. Nice to know my tax dollars are doing some good besides padding the pockets of the politicians.
I used to live in a house that had a pool in the back yard and it'd be actually really cool to see the water from the pool being splashed out and around - pretty darn good waves going on there!
1 person likes this
@cobrateacher (8432)
• United States
30 Jul 08
I think I'll stay with my hurricanes, thanks. I don't mean to be irreverent, but do Parkinson's patients stop shaking when the earth is doing it for them? What do people in hospitals or disabled people do when everything goes craZy like that? It's hard to imagine that there are houses and buildings in CA that have been there since the earliest days when it was part of Mexico! I'd expect that they'd all perished from shaken-building syndrome.
1 person likes this
@nengs10 (3180)
• Philippines
30 Jul 08
These days, I keep on hearing several natural disasters and things like this. We should be very careful in times of trouble and emergencies. We need to know the basic safety information when experiencing such things. Good for you that nothing happened. Kudos.
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
30 Jul 08
That's kind of the way I see this earthquake - I didn't panic, I was calm and I showed myself that I could handle emergencies. Plus, I saw what the benefits of the earthquake structure to building has done for us out here - 20 years ago and I wouldn't have sitting here chatting! I'd be under a pile of rubble!
@jtr115 (722)
• United States
30 Jul 08
My sister, who lives near L.A., called my parents after the quake hit. She and her husband are all right.
Two earthquakes hit the area when I visited some other relatives about 20 years ago. The first one was only a 2.3 and centered a good distance away, so I only felt the aftershocks. However, the second one was a 4.2 and centered about a mile or so away. I was sleeping when it hit, so that was quite the wake-up call!
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
30 Jul 08
The little ones aren't so bad. And after you've been through so many, you don't even get concerned with them. Just have your earthquake prepardness program and supplies and use your intelligence. This one showed me I have hte ability to make it through - I was not scared, I was actually rather amazed and quite interested as this one was the first I have been in that rolled, then shooke and then rolled and then the building I live in (I am on first floor of 3 story apt complex) was swaying long after the quake was done! Not a thing fell in my apt. But actually seeing and hearing the rolling, it was quite interesting! Hope I am that calm when the big one hits!
@snowy22315 (181998)
• United States
29 Jul 08
I guess they must have gotten smart in LA and built buildings to withstand earthquakes. I'm glad you are ok and there was no major damage. I have a cousin that lives out in that area also, but I'm sure she is fine. She has a nice sturdy home out there. i'm glad so.california has survived another quake.
2 people like this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
30 Jul 08
Yeah, nice to know the buidling and infrastructure are being built with earth quakes in the forefront of constuction. 5.6 nad 7-8 miles below the earth - could have been pretty devistating in years past. And we have them so often, that after you've been through a few, it isn't so scary. You know what you have to do so you do it and (hopefully) calmly. My first thought was to call my son to find out if his daughter who lives with her mother in the quakes epicenter was okay. Thank God she was
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
30 Jul 08
hi coffebreadk so was I live in tustin Southern ca
seemedlike a long minute to me witht he sudden jolt,
my desk shook, my chair shook and I thought the bookcase
was going over but nothing spilled. I was petified and could
literally not get out of my chair. I got very nauseated
and then it subsided as the moving stopped.I felt several
smaller ones rigth after that. no fun very scary
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
30 Jul 08
Was this your first quake? I've been here for 30 years, felt the Landers, Northridge and Whittier and hten some. I live on the San Andreas Fault line! All it takes is a few for you to figure them out and what you have to do. Just be prepared and know the more you panic, the worse off you will be. Glad you are okay!
@wilsongoddard (7291)
• United States
29 Jul 08
It's good that you made it through the earthquake.
It's things like those that make me glad that I live in the region I do-- no earthquakes, wildfires or hurricanes.
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
30 Jul 08
We got 2 out of 3 - earthquakes and fires. Just turned on the tv and there is a fire burning out of control - but it didn't say (got in on the tail end of it) if it was started by the quake. But we just did have a HUGE go-round with wildfires up north.
1 person likes this
@ohioboy2 (15)
•
30 Jul 08
I believe that California would be a really nice place to live if it wasn't for all the gangs and like you said the earthquakes. Did you know that over 300 fault lines intersect in California. To me this is simply a definitive reason to not live in California.
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
30 Jul 08
I live on the largest fault - San Andreas - goes from down in mexico to up into Canada. And between several others. Yeah, not a stable place but then again, where is?
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
30 Jul 08
Yeah, but I hear about y'alls snow storms and such and that is hard to deal with too!
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
30 Jul 08
Thanks. And I am thankful that the earthquake building codes are what they are - I wouldn't be sitting here if this quake had happened 20 years ago! I'd be under a pile of rubble!
@bmorehouse1 (1028)
• United States
30 Jul 08
I just sent a message to a friend in California to see how he was, Haven't heard anything yet, but from the sounds of things, it wasn't that bad and no one was hurt - thank God! Of course if I had been there visiting I probably would have been going ballistic! You folks in California probably react that same way we do in the midwest when we have tornadoes. It is something to be concerned about but I don't worry about it so much. Glad that you are okay and thanks for the info! Take care and best wishes!
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
30 Jul 08
Yeah, we probably treat them the same! I used to live in ODessa Texas and we'd sit on our front patio and watch the tornedos hop across the plains and the electric lightening storms. Amazing that they were! It wasn't bad as it could have been - thankfull all our tax dollars and earthquake safety programs for building have been proven a sucess. It most certainly could have been worse. But no damage or injury has been reported. Reporters seem to be rather annoyed (at least that is how they are coming across in broadcasts on TV) because they have nothing horiffic to report! I'm sure your friend is okay - just hasn't checked his email yet!
