I am worried about experiencing an earthquake. Do you have any advice?

Don’t be scared of an earth quake.
I’ve been living in CA 12 years. I’ve been awake for 2 earthquakes. I’ve never seen a single bit of property damage from any of them.

Buildings here in CA are built specifically to withstand earthquakes. Unless it’s an 8+ magnitude, I think everything should be fine.

I wouldn’t worry about it. There is supposed to be a huge Earthquake long the Pacific Coast for the last 30 years…but it never comes. Just have all your Earthquake preparedness kit ready, an escape plan, what to do afterwards. At least if you’ve thought it through you have a MUCH greater chance of survival than somebody who hasn’t.

Having been through many major earthquakes, and knowing they cannot be predicted, the only thing one can do is be prepared for the next one.

You are worried about fire… Do you know how to turn off the gas to your home? The electricity? Do you have fire extinguishers? Yes, all common sense questions, but, in the heat of an emergency, will you remember these things?

Create an emergency plan and practice it with your family regularly. By training for a situation like this, when or if the need arises, you will do instinctively what you learned in training for it and not have to think about it. This might help relieve your anxiety. Be prepared!

California and its leaders have been thinking carefully about this for many years. The state government has a great deal of safety information and advice, in the form of pamphlets, other publications, and on dedicated websites. Take a good look at www.california.gov. I am sure you will find much to read on this subject.

Briefly: Stand under a post and lintel structure (doorway). Take shelter in an interior room, especially a bathroom, as the pipes make added structure.

Get yourself a sturdy school desk.

I grew up in CA, mostly in San Francisco. I’ve experienced several earthquakes, though I was living with my dad in Vegas during the 7.1 1989 quake. Anyway, most of the quakes I’ve experienced have been in the 4.0–6.0 range and honestly, the scariest thing is the element of surprise, not knowing when the next one will occur or how strong it will be.

4.0–6.0 are really no biggie. If you bolt your bookshelves and such to the wall, most likely the worst that would happen is some things fall off shelves. Lie down in bed and have someone push the bed from the bottom every second or so. That’s pretty much what it feels like in an earthquake.

I was in a very, very minor earthquake once and it scared me half to death. I was on the 20th-something floor of an office building and can still recall the sickening feeling of the ground rolling under my feet, the window shades swinging though the windows were sealed, and my sense of helplessness. I’ve never understood why anyone would want to live anywhere where earthquakes are common… but that’s me. A close friend who lives in L.A. has told me many times that it’s just something one gets used to living in California (he moved there from the Midwest) so I guess that’s my advice to you—and I’m not being flip or cavalier—just learn to live with it.

They really aren’t so bad. I’ve been through tons of minor quakes and 2 huge ones.

The only thing you can do is be prepared. Get an emergency kit together, coordinate meeting places, put a kit in your car.

If you stay in CA for any length of time you will experience a quake. Don’t worry about something you cannot control.

Don’t worry about it. The majority of the earthquakes that happen aren’t even noticeable. Chances are you were there for one even before this 4.1. Buildings in California, and most certainly in the Bay Area, are retrofitted to be able to withstand earthquakes to a certain magnitude. Basically, the building shakes with the earth when an earthquake happens so that it doesn’t topple over completely.
Animals are more sensitive to changes than we are and will most likely sense the quake before you do. They’ll prep themselves in their own way.

I kinda enjoyed the few small ones in Ontario over the decades.
:-D

@Civic_Cat I lived near SF for 7 years and only felt 2 little ones- they really were kinda cool. :)

You’ll get used to it. Quake was woke me from a nap, and I was sleeping under a window. My first conscious thought was “what if this a Big One, the windows shatter, and spray me with glass? … Nahhh” and I went back to sleep while the earth was still moving.

I was at Candlestick Park during the Big One in ‘89, and we knew who the out-of-towners were because they were running for the exits while the natives kept going about their World Series business. I remember thinking “huh, must’ve been a good one if it shook a giant concrete bunker if it shook Candlestick Park”. That was an understatement.

Don’t sweat it.

Whatever weird behavior animals are said to exhibit before or during a quake, my cats have always been as unruffled as usual.

I think educate yourself and you will feel better. I am betting the reality is it is not likely a fire will start, and that statistically unlikely anything devastating will happen even if there is a quake. Also, maybe you live in an area that is not by the center of where a quake is likely to happen? If there is a 6.5 quake and you live 20 miles away, you probably won’t feel it that much. Learn what you are supposed to do like stand in a threshold, or under a table, crouch down, etc.

I live about 20 miles outside of Memphis, the biggest quake ever recorded in the lower 48 happened northwest of me (flippin’ earthquake insurance is a fortune!) but I went to a lecture on earthquakes related to our area, and the expert said that out where I live would most likely have very little damage even if there was another monster quake like the one 100 years ago.

My husband grew up with earthquakes, and now most of his family lives in FL. Almost all of them prefer the earthquakes to the hurricanes if that makes you feel any better.

Maybe establish with some neighbors that you call each other or will look for each other if there is a major quake, kind of like a buddy system.

I grew up in the SF bay area. I was in SF when we had a 6.0, and in Oakland for a 7.0 (the building next to me collapsed).
I will tell you with all sincerity that a 4.1 earthquake is a nudge, not a shake.
The news today says “The Bay Area Rocked by a 4.1 Earthquake!” They are full of shit.
A 4.1 is pitiful.
Relax. If it isn’t a 6, it isn’t that big a deal.

Having said all that, I have no idea how people deal with hurricanes. You see them on the news hours before they hit. The suspense must be awful. That’s another good thing about Earthquakes: No lead up to it. It just hits, and it’s over.

Over the 45 years I have lived in California, I have experienced dozens of earthquakes in the 4+ range, and hundreds less than that. You do not have to worry about earthquakes. If you really must worry about something, make it something really dangerous, like being in an automobile.

@filmfann The wait before a hurricane is the most boring time of your life! Preparing sucks, crowded supermarkets, plugging up your bathtub, covering all of your windows, waiting on line to fill your gas tank, taking down things that can become airborn like coconuts, and bringing in all of your patio furniture, going to the bank to make sure you have cash, and then driving to someone elses house if you are evacuated, or having people come over if you are in a safer area. Then hours while you hear crap blow around outside, hearing stuff on the radio about someone freaked out and wanting help, but can’t get any because emergency workers are not allowed on the streets. Sleeping in the safest part of the house if it is nighttime hours, which might be a living room sofa. Then there is the aftermath of power lines down, and streets blocked. God forbid the sewage facility lost power, that can be a total nightmare. I think that is why my in-laws tend to prefer the earthquakes.

Seriously though, I have been through lots of hurricanes and for the most part it is not that bad, just annoying. And, you have warning to get out if you want.

I think you might feel better when you exactly what to do. In Germany we don’t get many earthquakes but if we did, authorities recommend to step inside a door frame, supposedly the safest place inside your own house.

For the US I found this. Memorizing it might help you lose your anxiety. Also keep in mind that really strong earthquakes are a rare event. It’s more dangerous to drive a car.

http://www.fema.gov/hazard/earthquake/eq_during.shtm

What to Do During an Earthquake

Stay as safe as possible during an earthquake. Be aware that some earthquakes are actually foreshocks and a larger earthquake might occur. Minimize your movements to a few steps to a nearby safe place and stay indoors until the shaking has stopped and you are sure exiting is safe.

If indoors

* DROP to the ground; take COVER by getting under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture; and HOLD ON on until the shaking stops. If there isn’t a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in an inside corner of the building.
* Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall, such as lighting fixtures or furniture.
* Stay in bed if you are there when the earthquake strikes. Hold on and protect your head with a pillow, unless you are under a heavy light fixture that could fall. In that case, move to the nearest safe place.
* Use a doorway for shelter only if it is in close proximity to you and if you know it is a strongly supported, loadbearing doorway.
* Stay inside until shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Research has shown that most injuries occur when people inside buildings attempt to move to a different location inside the building or try to leave.
* Be aware that the electricity may go out or the sprinkler systems or fire alarms may turn on.
* DO NOT use the elevators.

If outdoors

* Stay there.
* Move away from buildings, streetlights, and utility wires.
* Once in the open, stay there until the shaking stops. The greatest danger exists directly outside buildings, at exits, and alongside exterior walls. Many of the 120 fatalities from the 1933 Long Beach earthquake occurred when people ran outside of buildings only to be killed by falling debris from collapsing walls. Ground movement during an earthquake is seldom the direct cause of death or injury. Most earthquake-related casualties result from collapsing walls, flying glass, and falling objects.

If in a moving vehicle

* Stop as quickly as safety permits and stay in the vehicle. Avoid stopping near or under buildings, trees, overpasses, and utility wires.
* Proceed cautiously once the earthquake has stopped. Avoid roads, bridges, or ramps that might have been damaged by the earthquake.

If trapped under debris

* Do not light a match.
* Do not move about or kick up dust.
* Cover your mouth with a handkerchief or clothing.
* Tap on a pipe or wall so rescuers can locate you. Use a whistle if one is available. Shout only as a last resort. Shouting can cause you to inhale dangerous amounts of dust.

I would add: use your cell phone.

@mattbrowne Cell phones are completely unreliable in emergencies. When southern California was burning in 2007, I couldn’t get a call off for at least a day.

I was 10 years old when the 7.1 Loma Prieta quake hit in 89. I lived about 2 miles away from the epicenter. We lived in the ghettoest of the ghetto apartments, seriously, they were awful, and I don’t think anyone’s window even broke. Don’t get me wrong, there was definitely damage, but nobody’s roof caved in. Also, we were literally like 3 miles from the ocean, and there were no tsunamis and as far as I know, no house fires. ALL of the major damage occurred in buildings that were really, really old, and hadn’t been retrofitted for earthquakes.

I won’t lie, earthquakes are SCARY. I agree with a previous poster who said that the “not knowing” is one of the worst parts of an earthquake. You never know what the aftershocks will be like, or whether they will be bigger than the first earthquake. One thing that really stands out in my memory is the sound. The sound of an earthquake is the most bizarre thing ever. It’s so loud and frightening. I’ve lived in California my whole life and I STILL absolutely DETEST earthquakes. I will NEVER get “used” to them. They suck.

Don’t look now, but there was another one today. Again, no damage.

@Sarcasm – Yes, it depends. There are other cases where cell phones saved lives. For example in Turkey or Italy.

I just heard there was a 6.5 quake, did you feel it?

@JLeslie That was in Eureka, way north of the Bay area. for a current earthquake report see the California Earthquake map.

My sister in Redding felt it, and said it was quite strong.
Here in Concord, I didn’t feel a thing.

@JLeslie : noooo haha!!!

I feel so much better though after posting this question though, thank you all!!!

WOW i googled about being scared of earthquakes and directed me here. Ive lived in california all my life, southern cali border to baja california mexico. I know how an earthquake feels, and i’m reminded ever other month. Now that all the earthquakes are happening my panic/fear is “THE BIG ONE” i’ve heard this all my life, and i’ve been scared all my life. I’ve educated myself, but i cant deny the panic feeling. I truly feel like a panic attack creeping on me, i cant relax. there was a 4.1 earthquake right now :( I cant ask anyone around me because i feel i’ll start crying in panic. This might seem like a total TMI.

I’m glad Samantha_Rae is feeling better, i hope to acompany u in the feeling of ease.