SF earthquake

By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics and access other forums reserved for members. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today by clicking here.

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 3:52 am

I've lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for well over 30 years and have been through a lot of earthquakes, notably the devastating 1989 Loma Preita quake. But the one that hit us tonight was one of the scariest, and definitely the worst since 1989......

It started as a fairly sharp jolt, lasting a few seconds. For some reason I thought that might just be a pre-shock, and I turned out to be right. A few seconds later the real one hit and it lasted a long time, about 20 seconds. That's not as long as the 1989 quake, but trust me, 20 seconds of heavy rolling and lots of noise feels like the house is about to fall on your head.... It's only 'moderate' by official standards (5.6 on the Richter, way less than the 1989 quake) but it was very intense living through it. Then again, nothing fell off the shelves and there was no lasting damage, not even loss of electricity. But the venetian blinds and hanging chandeliers swung and clacked for well over a minute after it ended. It felt like being on a boat, but that's perhaps to be expected since we're on landfill and it's prone to liquifaction. Had it hit closer, and harder, the house could have collapsed. I'm thinking about retiring and moving to higher and more solid ground...........

Then again, this is the price we pay for living in such beauty. Every place has its dangers, whether it's blizzards, hurricanes, tornados, floods, fires or earthquakes. Mother nature has her way of reminding us of our insignificance.

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 5:14 am

I agree ....it was the scariest since 1989 Sad

I almost shit myself...my legs turned to jelly and my heart started pounding. The 20 seconds felt like 5 minutes!

Master Baiter Joined: 29 Jun 2006 Posts: 219

I assume there was a ....get ready......are you ready??

"a whole lotta shakin' going on"? Laughing

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 7:29 am

^^^^^

on a serious note: glad, nobody got hurt Smile

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 19

We felt the minor tremors of it all the way on the east coast, (enough to barely shake the couch and make minor waves in the coffee)

Glad you're okay.

** ACCOUNT CLOSED ** Joined: 19 Sep 2007 Posts: 262

glad you guys OK, thats some scary shit.

I know!!! and would NEVER be able to live in a place prone to earthquakes, the "thing" it self does not scare me, but the Before almost kills me Confused

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 9:50 am

Earthquakes are very much like making love to a beautiful woman...sometimes the earth moves and if it is particularly violent you have a few tremours and fall out of bed and then laugh about it afterwards.

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 10:18 am

Glad to hear you guys are ok. I've never been through one here in the north east. While 20 seconds doesn't sound too long, I'm sure that when you in one, it must feel like it will never end.

Lady Wolf wrote:

We felt the minor tremors of it all the way on the east coast, (enough to barely shake the couch and make minor waves in the coffee)

What part of the east are you to feel that?

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 10:55 am

Glad to know you're OK. We have earthquakes here far too often (ones you can feel about 1/month), and I hate them, even though I've never been in a really bad one.

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 11:01 am

What time did this happen.. Since I don't watch TV, too often, I hadn't heard about it yet.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 19

OxygenDeprived wrote:

What part of the east are you to feel that?

New England.

It was so minor, at first I thought someone was jumping around to shake the house enough to jar the couch, but then when I noticed it was dead quiet I realized it couldn't be.

Then a short while later while reading yahoo news I noticed mention of the earth quake and put two and two togther.

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 4:59 pm

8:04pm West Coast time. Sad

** ACCOUNT CLOSED ** Joined: 15 Apr 2007 Posts: 766

Did not notice it.

Seriously. However, my friend on the second floor felt it.

--J.D.

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 8:46 pm

Juan Freizwidatt wrote:

... I'm thinking about retiring and moving to higher... ground ...

I understand real estate in southern Washington State is a real bargain these days.

Isn't the area around Mount St. Helen's lovely? Laughing

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 11:59 pm

As a former BA kid, glad you are all OK. Last quake I went through, was the Double Spring Flat epicenter, south of Tahoe. It was a 45 second jackhammer ride @ 6.1. I was holding the kitchen cabinets closed in the middle of the night.
I had moved away well before Loma Prieata. I had a good friend that commuted the Cypress, ( a long bridge span that pancaked) and even though he would have been top deck, he called in sick that day. Dodge that bullet!
I remember coming home to watch the baseball game that October day, and the first pic on the TV was the Bay Bridge slab that fell. I fell onto the couch in disbelief! Then, it got worse when the Marina District went up in flames.