Where Were You?

I was at work today when I heard a loud rumbling, like a construction truck driving by. That's exactly what I thought it was until it got louder and the ground started shaking. I looked at Chris, an attorney I work with and the only other person in the room at the time, and he said "Yes, that's an earthquake." My first earthquake was definitely different than I thought it would be. It lasted about 30 seconds (which seems a lot longer when it's happening) and I could hear the walls creaking from the shaking. Luckily I was on the ground floor instead of the third floor like the rest of my co-workers. I heard they got a bit of swaying up on that level. Nothing broke or fell and everyone was fine. I wasn't really scared, I just didn't really know what to expect, and I just sat at my desk during the whole thing. I think the quake was a 5.4 and the epicenter was in Chino Hills, which is 36 miles east of where we live. Definitely an unforgettable moment.
So, what I want to know is where were you when you felt your first earthquake?

Comments

adrienne said…
I've never felt one. I'm glad you wrote this post because I heard there was an earthquake close to LA as I was pulling into my garage around 6:00 tonight and I wondered if you had felt it and if everything was okay. Hopefully that will be as close as you get to one, right! :)
July 29, 2008 at 7:31 PM
Erin said…
I am glad it wasn't too serious. I was picturing you huddled under your desk like they would have us practice in grade school. I have never felt an earthquake either, knock on wood.
July 29, 2008 at 8:58 PM
Shannan said…
I was going to call you yesterday to see how it was for you. We felt it out here, too. When I realized the epicenter was in Chino Hills, I realized it must have been bigger than I thought.

I have actually been through about 3 earthquakes out here that we could feel. The first one, Jim and I were on watching TV and the girls were asleep, and we thought the same thing. Was that an earthquake? It was just a little rolling and rumbling and it wasn't as scary as I thought they would be, but I know those few weren't too big.

Yesterday, I was actually sitting on the toilet when it started shaking and the windows started rattling. My first thought was, "Oh great. It's the big one!" Then I thought, "Oh great! I am not going to be found in the rubble with my pants down!"
July 30, 2008 at 1:41 PM
Ines said…
Shannan, I'm glad you made it off the toilet OK. That would have been horrible! I felt a little tiny shaking earlier in the year when they had that earthquake in Nevada. I don't even want to think about the "big" one. But I guess we do have to be prepared.
July 30, 2008 at 4:14 PM
Liz said…
Your first earthquake! I think that means you're a real Californian now. :)

The first big quake in my life was the Loma Prieta quake in 1989. It was a 6.9 and there were lots of deaths (60?), injuries in the thousands, and tons of building damage. Since then I've been a little blase about about smaller quakes. :)

For THIS quake, I was on the treadmill at the gym. I didn't even feel the quake, just saw the ceiling-mounted TVs swaying side to side!
July 30, 2008 at 10:52 PM
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