Anyone from the earthquake area in LA want to describe it?

Question

uk citizen here.

Answer 1

I've lived here all my life and only the quake in '87 felt worse than this (though the one in '94,which registered at 7 did the most damage and caused fatalities).

I was already feeling bad and after about the first 15 seconds of shaking, I just hid under my desk.  I'd still be there but since I'm on the second floor, we had to go outside and wait.

I'm pretty shaken up but with all the hot weather we've been having, not surprised.

Answer 2

i think people there will have other things on their minds just now

i hope everyone is ok

Answer 3

It wasn't bad. I live in LA. At first, I felt it and thought it was just a little 3 pointer. It started and then almost stopped and then really started going. I ran under a door jam and just kept an eye on my big screen TV to make sure that it didn't fall. You always stand there for an extra minute or two after it stops to make sure it really is over because often, it can lull and then start again. It felt like a smooth back and forth motion, kind of like if you were standing on a board and people were just moving it back and forth and side to side, slowly and smoothly. I've lived here my whole life and felt every kind there is, from the jerky kind where it feels like God has his hands on our house like a kid shaking a Christmas present and the rolling kind (which I hate) where it feels like the ground is actually coming up in waves. We didn't have any damage but some stores and people near the epicenter had things fall off their shelves. I think that a water main broke somewhere but no major damage, not like Northridge in '94. I actually got slightly hurt in that quake. I was standing in the door jam and the door was slamming back and forth from the quake and it slammed into my arm over and over, causing bruising and soreness for a while. That one was really bad and we had some bad ones in the '80s but we haven't had much in a long time so we were due.

Answer 4

Dude every thing in my house started shaking picture Frames fell and broke.My rocking chair started rocking really hard.Im just happy it was a 5.4 and not as big as The NorthRidge Earth Quake.

Answer 5

i didn't even realize what was going on for a moment.  i felt it, and i saw the lights shaking and when someone finally yelled, "Earthquake!" I put 2 and 2 together.  That was my first one.

Answer 6

i work at the center where the earthquake was "Burbank"

it was weird.. first it gave us a lil warning with a little shake.. then seconds later the real fun started.. i work in a warehouse where there are racks as high as the ceilling which is an easy 20 feet high.. and they were wobbling from left to right.. i went outside and everybody was seen running out.. lol.. it was a funny scene to see m8...

of course since no1 i know got hurt that is... take care yall!

PEACE!!!!

Answer 7

OMG..it was scary..i was eating in my room when all of the sudden my bed started moving then i noticed the ceiling and everything else in the house moving..! i couldnt believe it at first...but after 3 seconds in to it, i quickly run to my parents to see if they were alright..and they were...so were ok now..thank God!! :)

Answer 8

I live in Riverside, 50 miles east of L.A., closer to Chino Hills where the epicenter was. I was sitting at my desk using the computer and the windows stated rattling, the blinds shaking and the floor was rolloing. It started getting bigger and my dog jumped off my lamp and went under the bed, my other dog came running in and went under the bed and I went under a table. The shaking lasted about 20-30 seconds and then stopped. Aftershocks are likely to come all day now.

Answer 9

Wow how does the news about the earthquake travel so fast. I was in my office when this happened. I was not sure at first what was going on. I was like is this really happening because it been years since i felt an earthquake. i walked outside my office and saw everyone under there desks. i was like i guess it is and got under my desk. now my head hurts for some reason and my cell phone does not work. weird huh.

Answer 10

I'm up on the 32 floor of the library tower in down town L.A, it shook for less than a minute but we all got our nerves a bit rattled. Felt alot worse than it was. the Northridge quake was far worse this was just kinda a reminder that it can always happen here in the south land when you least expect it.

Answer 11

Sitting in the house I grew up in and has been through many earthquakes. There is a crack across the ceiling caused from a  previous earthquake. We had recently painted and now the crack that we filled in and painted over has reappeared.  In the 1971 quake something fell on my head and knocked me out next thing I knew my Mom was standing over me very concerned.  I had blood covering one side of my face. I don't remember the earthquake, I think I missed it...

Answer 12

rolling vs sharp "punch" - 1994 Northridge quake felt like someone punched the side of the house

5.8 is much smaller than the 6.9 Northridge. Much depends on how deep the quake is also. The deeper it is the less you feel it.

I was about 20 miles from the epicenter in 1994 and we had $30K of damage (mostly cosmetic). We had glass everywhere.

Basically you just ride through them and look around after it stops moving.