Just went through a 5.4 earthquake in Southern California, and it's funny to see the cable networks going bonkers.
This isn't, by far, the worst earthquake I've been through. At least two that I can remember were worse, or more frightening at least.
In 1971 we experienced the Sylmar Quake at 6.6 and in 1994 the Northridge Quake at 6.7. Both were vey frightening. There is something about the earth moving under you, the earth that you just take for granted will be solid and stable, that scares the daylights out of you.
In 1971, my daughter was just a year old when the earth started shaking, and I ran to get her out of her crib and stand in a doorway.
Over 20 years later, my oldest two children (including the daughter I grabbed out of her crib) were living in Los Angeles, and another son was visiting his brother there. My sons called me to let me know they were all right, even though they had been both physically and emotionally shaken up. They suggested I try to contact my daughter, which I was unable to do at first. Finally I did contact her, and she and her neighbors had spent the early morning hours outside comforting each other. One friend drove to her place because her building had actually come off of its foundation and was no longer habitable. She slept on my daughter's couch for a couple months. They were the lucky ones, though, as many people died in that quake.
This one was mild, by comparison. But it still brings back memories. Just a few minutes ago, my daughter, who lives in Pasadena, finally was able to phone me after a long time trying. (Phone service is down in many areas.) She told me she and her two children were shaken up, but safe. I imagine it brought back some scary memories for her.
We Californians have learned to live with this, just as Floridians learn to live with hurricanes, I imagine. It isn't fun, but it is one of the prices we are willing to pay to live in such a magnificent state.
Still, when it happens, it is always frightening, and sometimes deadly. Fortunately, it doesn't look like this one was deadly.
