Santa Clara near San Jose?

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by SarahGabrielle

Don't you think hurricanes are less scary? The way I feel is that with hurricanes, you get advance notice that one is coming and then you can just prepare and leave the city and board up your house. With an earthquake, you don't know when it's coming and you could be on a highway or in a building.

That is the scary part of quakes, but the statistics are still on our side! Even in the Loma Prieta, loss of lives and homes were fairly minimal, considering the magnitude... total casualties were around 250, and the majority were from the Embarcadero & Bay Bridge collapses. Sad part is that it hit at 5:04pm, which is peak rush-hour, so that caused more losses. It was also at the start of the "Battle of the Bay" World Series, as I'm sure many remember, so that caused lots of traffic too. But as long as you're not on a bridge, you have a good chance of survival. And you can't be scared by the 1906 quake, since they were completely unprepared (in terms of building & emergency services)... most of that damage was caused by fires that followed, which they didn't have the manpower to control. We have strict building codes & safety procedures now, plus a much better fire department.

Is there a unique sound when and while an earthquake is happening or is it quiet? I am confused about that.

In my experiences, yes there is a unique sound... it depends on where you happen to be at the time, but it's usually a creaking & rattling sound. I've often thought it was just strong wind, the house settling, or a ghost (LOL) - but then I feel a shake & realize what's happening. We had a 4.5 here last year, and I actually heard it a few seconds before feeling anything.

Also, does the ground actually move? And is that why it is hard to keep balance?

In a big one, the ground does move noticeably. One time I was standing and talking on the phone when a good-sized one hit, and I really did lose my balance! Didn't fall down, but I had to grab the sink to hang on. This only happens in (approx) a magnitude 4.0 or higher, typically...

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by halfmoonbaygal

I had advance warning of an earthquake (a few seconds) because I happened to be watching my parrot. He got very weird and started tearing around in his cage and squawking. I thought a bug was after him. Then a small earthquake hit.

They do say animals can predict earthquakes... remember all the stories following the quake/tsunami in Asia? After the Loma Prieta, we realized our cats hadn't gone outside for about a week prior to it (and a few weeks after, probably due to the aftershocks). They were mostly outdoor cats, so this was a bit odd in retrospect! Maybe we should pay closer attention to their behavior...

[JakeDog]

Earthquakes are no big deal at all and occur so infrequently it isn't worth discussing. When you live in the bay area for a couple of months you will laugh at yourself for even thinking about them.

[SarahGabrielle]

Why aren't they a big deal?

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by SarahGabrielle

Why aren't they a big deal?

Because, as Jake said, the noticeable ones don't happen very often... it's really not something we're concerned with on a daily basis! It takes a BIG one to cause any real damage, so for the most part, they're nothing to stress about.