Tell Me About Earthquakes...because I am extremely terrified of them =/

I live in a 2-story apartment complex, in La Habra, California. Very close to the san-andreas fault line, and there have been many destructive earthquakes lately and I can't help but think California's quake isn't far away. Instinct always tells me to run out the door when a quake happens, but I've read everywhere that, that is not the best solution to do.

I babysit a 1 year old daily, and that worries me even more. I also hear that California has very strict building codes, but I still feel fear every time I think of The Big One. I do not want to live in fear, but I can't help it.

Please, can anybody help me feel more confident to be ready to experience such a devastation?

Thank You

You are not supposed to run any where. Running around during an earthquake is a bad idea, since you may fall or trip from either the shaking, or things falling or positioned in odd places due to the shaking.

The best thing to do is to hide under something study. Obviously falling objects is a big danger. You can actually do a ton of stuff in your house, by not keeping heavy objects on high shelves and stuff, and make sure anything that can possibly tip over is secured. Its pretty simple really. Just look around your house and say, "Could this fall over?" If so, make sure to secure it.

If you are living in a newer house in an area with a strict building code, and they expect earthquakes, you should be fairly safe.

Don't panic.

Here's what will happen: If you're a ways away from the epicenter, you'll hear a rumbling sound before it even hits. When it does, the apartment you're in (or where ever you are) will begin to shake around you. It might shake up and down, it might shake side to side or probably some combination of both. If its a small earthquake, it'll just feel like those carnival funhouses where the floor isn't anchored. Chances are you, and stuff on your shelves won't fall down. I usually just get the sensation that my legs feel a bit like jelly during these. If its a bigger one the shaking will be vigorous, you might have trouble keeping your balance. Most earthquakes don't last more than a couple of minutes.

Whenever there is an Earthquake you should take safety precautions (if for nothing else at least its practice for bigger earthquakes) and there's different things you can do. In school we were always drilled to get under our desks, with one arm over our necks to protect them from breaking (our necks, not our arms), one arm over our eyes to prevent stuff from getting in them, and facing away from the windows in case they break (I've never experienced an earthquake anywhere close to as bad as the hypothetical earthquakes of our drills, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared). At home though, my parents and I always just stand in open doorways. I think the logic behind this is that doors are supposed to be the most structurally strong part of the house, but honestly I can't remember why a good doorway is the place to be. As for the baby... I don't know, I suppose you'd just have to protect it with your body, in which case the duck and cover method would probably be the safest choice. You'd probably have to do the normal baby stuff, like minding its neck while you're holding it, and not dropping it...

Don't run outside, if you're moving from one place to the next you increase your chances of getting hit by falling objects, or falling down yourself. If you're already outside, don't go inside. Don't put anything over your bed or anywhere else where you sleep unless you're absolutely sure its secure. Again, don't panic. Don't go anywhere until you're sure the shaking has stopped completely.

Perhaps because I've lived in SoCal since I was a kid, I don't find Earthquakes all that exciting. I definitely slept through the biggest one that ever hit my town. For the most part they're not that big and though we are supposedly past due for "the big one", all cities in the state have building codes, and emergency procedures set up for the time when it does. I think one of the reasons that the Earthquakes in other parts of the world have been so destructive, has been due to poor engineering and building construction, problems that aren't so rampant in CA.

Please don't worry about this too much. Do what you need to do to feel safe, practice getting under the nearest sturdy table or whatever you need to do. I hope you do well during your next earthquake, good luck!

The fault near where I am hasn't moved in a long time, and the longer it doesn't move the bigger the earthquake is. We're expecting a 9.5-10 magnitude earthquake... which is equal to about 15-30 tsar bombas, which is the largest bomb ever made.

I took Geology in school, and even back then they taught of this expected earthquake. The magnitude of this earthquake will be so great that solid earth will flex like plastic... they'll be verticle movement up to 10 feet causing tears and holes. There is no way to prepare for a 9-10 magnitude eathquake, because no matter how strong or solid the building is it doesn't make a difference when the ground litterally opens up and throws entire buildings around.

So we're screwed.

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Originally Posted by mindwanderer

The fault near where I am hasn't moved in a long time, and the longer it doesn't move the bigger the earthquake is. We're expecting a 9.5-10 magnitude earthquake... which is equal to about 15-30 tsar bombas, which is the largest bomb ever made.

I took Geology in school, and even back then they taught of this expected earthquake. The magnitude of this earthquake will be so great that solid earth will flex like plastic... they'll be verticle movement up to 10 feet causing tears and holes. There is no way to prepare for a 9-10 magnitude eathquake, because no matter how strong or solid the building is it doesn't make a difference when the ground litterally opens up and throws entire buildings around.

So we're screwed.

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Where exactly are you located? What fault?

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Recently, scientists have recognized a history of infrequent, but great (magnitude 8 to 9) earthquakes on the fault separating the subducting Juan de Fuca and North America plates. The last great earthquake in 1700 AD affected the entire coast from northern California to southern B.C.

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The longer it stays stuck, more energy is stored and the potential earthquake grows larger.

btw I live on the 4th floor of a 10+ year old apartment :S

British Columbia, Canada... southwest.

You are overdue for an Earthquake, and the Earth is shifting now. Earthquakes everywhere. I would be nervous if I lived there. But I am a nervous person regarding severe natural phenomena. When you see a house that gets knowck down either by an Earthquake or a wrecking ball, it is the doorways that are still standing, so that is why they are the safest.
Just accept your destiny, whatever it is, and don't fear the inevitable, or move. Follow your instincts.
I read somewhere recently about yoga to do to protect you in an earthquake. I don't know how it is supposed to work, but I do know that during an earthquake your electromagnetic field gets disrupted. This is how animals are able to know when an earthquake is coming. I know that the yoga realigns your ElectroMagnetic field. But, as for falling into chasms and dodging falling buildings, I don't know. I always hoped when I lived in CA that I would be in a blimp when the big one hit.

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Originally Posted by Jorge

La Habra, California.

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amg brah are you still in school?



and well I'm sure we'll be okay

Yeah. With all the earthquakes and volcanoes going off all the time I'm sure an earthquake is heading my way any day now. I'm not gonna leave the area... if I die then I die... and if I survive then I'm looting the living daylights outta the futureshop/mall etc and skipping town.

Good plan.

I probably shouldn't be too worried about my apartment being demolished by an earthquake. After all, even though our complex rests directly on top of the San Andreas fault (or some significant branch thereof, I don't remember), the buildings were largely unaffected by the Loma Prieta quake that happened when I was like...1 year old. If these buildings could withstand that beast, I think they could withstand another big quake.

Of course, all this talk about "the big one" - some quake with a magnitude greater than 10, I think - happening anytime soon is just a crock of shit. The fact that earthquakes have just so happened to demolish other areas the world over doesn't mean jack; if earthquakes were predictable in any way, shape or form, the casualties in Haiti and Chile etc. could have been averted with some advanced warning. In reality, the so-called "big one" that'll "drop L.A. into the ocean" could be as far away as 100 years, according to geologists. And if it does happen within our lifetimes, then...well, it happens. Such a quake would be virtually inescapable, anyway. There's no more use worrying about it than there is worrying about getting into a fatal car accident every time you step into your vehicle.

True that.

When an earthquake happens, I was always told to duck under a nearby desk or table and stay there for a few minutes after the end of a tremor (there may be aftershocks). Also, before an earthquake, make sure anything heavy is secure (I think anything heavier than an oversized hardback book, complete with 300+ pages, is heavy).

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Originally Posted by mindwanderer

The fault near where I am hasn't moved in a long time, and the longer it doesn't move the bigger the earthquake is. We're expecting a 9.5-10 magnitude earthquake... which is equal to about 15-30 tsar bombas, which is the largest bomb ever made.
I took Geology in school, and even back then they taught of this expected earthquake. The magnitude of this earthquake will be so great that solid earth will flex like plastic... they'll be verticle movement up to 10 feet causing tears and holes. There is no way to prepare for a 9-10 magnitude eathquake, because no matter how strong or solid the building is it doesn't make a difference when the ground litterally opens up and throws entire buildings around.
So we're screwed.

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That's kinda how I feel about nuclear war. I live about 10 minutes outside of Philadelphia, so I don't even bother being worried, because if someone decides to hit the east coast, I'm fried and there's not a damn thing I can do about it :P