[Kaderin Triste]

So... at about 12:35am MST (approx 50 minutes ago from when I'm typing this), my third floor apartment, and the whole building really, began to shake. Things were rattling, the cats were scared shitless, a few things fell onto the floor, and after standing in shock for a few seconds, I scurried for the nearest door frame because all I could think was "you're supposed to stand in a door frame, right?".
It was a 5.8 magnitude earthquake about 90-95 miles away from me.
It took at least 5 minutes for me to realize what had happened. Another probably close to 10 for me to fall apart and start to pull myself together. About the time I was ready to find the cats, the first aftershock hit. I sat in the door frame again and focused on breathing. Batty was hiding under my bed, looking scared, but otherwise okay. Shade was nowhere to be found. But after searching, he was found hiding behind the toilet. A third aftershock hit. Much smaller, but still unnerving.
I am now wide awake and trying not to freak out. I know it's probably over and I know that compared to California, it's a pretty small quakes. But we don't get them here very often. In fact, this is the only one I've ever felt.

Anyone else been through an earthquake? Are they frequent where you live?
Any advice for a freaked out person who's been through their first quake?

Update: 1:30am MST I am still sitting in the door frame and have just felt a third aftershock.

[Boris]

We've had small quakes here... it has been said while I was in elementary school that we're due for a big one soon... I have graduated high school and it has not happened. One night, my parents woke me up because of an earthquake... I felt nothing.

I heard that you're not supposed to stand in front of a door or a doorway... that was back in elementary school as well.

I'm glad you and your kitties are safe, though.

[Kaderin Triste]

I think the whole standing in (like actually in the door frame not in front of it) a doorframe thing is because it's generally more structurally sound than other parts of the house? At least I think that's what I was taught.

We're all pretty freaked still. The aftershocks aren't helping with that. I keep just trying to focus on them though.

[Den]

Originally Posted by Kaderin Triste

I think the whole standing in (like actually in the door frame not in front of it) a doorframe thing is because it's generally more structurally sound than other parts of the house? At least I think that's what I was taught.

We're all pretty freaked still. The aftershocks aren't helping with that. I keep just trying to focus on them though.

Actually, that only applies to older masonry-style buildings. In modern buildings, your best bet is to take shelter under sturdy furniture that isn't likely to shift too much during the shaking.

[Kaderin Triste]

My apartment building is pretty old actually...

[Den]

It applies more to buildings built before 1920, I think. I'd have to watch the Mythbusters episode again.

ETA: Found the video of the episode

[Kaderin Triste]

My phone doesn't have any high-speed data so I can't watch that video. I'm trying to look up info on the building, but it's hard to find.
I'm sure the interior is probably more modern than the exterior, but it is in the area of town with a lot of the historic buildings, so at least the exterior is probably from around the 1920s.

I mean, I'm not saying I made the safest choice, but based on faulty (ah earthquake pun!) information given to me in probably 5th grade at the latest, I did what I thought was best.
Also...I don't really have much in the way of sturdy furniture that I can fit under.

[Den]

At least you did your best to be safe, and it was successful. Last September, my area actually got hit with an earthquake that had its epicenter in Oklahoma... the shaking went from there all the way to North Dakota. And I swore I was imagining things, until I went downstairs later that morning and Mom asked me if I'd felt the earthquake.

[Kaderin Triste]

Ah yeah, that's a pretty big shake. O.o
Supposedly this one was felt as far out as Seattle, but I can't confirm that yet.

[Demonskid]

I was always taught to get under a table or Desk. o3o

I've been through one tiny earthquake so far. Back in 2006, I was in North Carolina and the couch i was laying on started to shake. I thought it was my Boyfriend bouncing his leg on this part of his computer desk (which the couch was behind) and that causes the couch to shake.. NOPE! turned out to be a small earthquake. =w=

Everyone around me was all "Did you feel that earthquake last night!? JESS THAT WAS YOUR FIRST ONE RIGHT?!" they were all excited. More excited then I was. x'D

[Coda]

Despite living in California for four years, I only ever felt little wiggles of earthquakes, never anything big enough to be worrying.

[Boris]

Originally Posted by Demonskid

I was always taught to get under a table or Desk. o3o

I've been through one tiny earthquake so far. Back in 2006, I was in North Carolina and the couch i was laying on started to shake. I thought it was my Boyfriend bouncing his leg on this part of his computer desk (which the couch was behind) and that causes the couch to shake.. NOPE! turned out to be a small earthquake. =w=

Everyone around me was all "Did you feel that earthquake last night!? JESS THAT WAS YOUR FIRST ONE RIGHT?!" they were all excited. More excited then I was. x'D

I never heard anyone get excited over someone else's first earthquake before.

[Coda]

My wife and I got excited over our first earthquake. When it's not severe enough to be scary, the novelty of it can have an effect.

[Boris]

Hmm... thinking about it, I can see why some people would be thrilled to have an earthquake.

[Espy]

Originally Posted by Coda

Despite living in California for four years, I only ever felt little wiggles of earthquakes, never anything big enough to be worrying.

-rolls around laughing-

Really? There was one like...a decade ago maybe? It was pretty big, enough to rattle Mom's china cabinet a bit, and make the dining table lamp swing. There was also one maybe six years ago -- I was sitting in class, and heard this really loud bang and a bit of a jolt. That one was 5-something, I think.

Though, eleven years ago, there were worries about the hundreth anniversary of the big 1906 SF quake. TBH, the main cause of destruction from that particular earthquake was the fires that broke out, not the quake itself.

[Coda]

... did I really write four years? I meant five, I lived there five years, I moved there in summer of 2012...

I felt the 5.1 earthquake in La Habra in 2014, but all the way up in Pasadena it was just a little bit of a wiggle that I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't been lying on my stomach on the floor at the time.