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earthquakes in california
Hi! I'm from Miami.... and I am planning to move to California. I am almost done with college and since I'm a Mass Communications/Broadcast Journalism major, I think there's a lot of opportunities there. I also had an internship that has opened a lot of doors, but what better place than California? I am in love with the idea of living in California, but I'm terrified of earthquakes. I have a lot of anxiety and I have dreams that I'll be at the gym, and there will be an earthquake. Or that I'll be at work, and it will hit... or that my boyfriend and I will be driving, and then an earthquake will happen. I'm terrified! I did a little research on it, but it's not the same as getting an opinion of someone who lives there. If you live in California, can you tell me a little bit about it? And if there are any earthquakes... and what their like? I would appreciate it greatly! Thank you!
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I haven't been living in California as long as the previous advicers have, but I can say that Earthquakes really aren't too bad. I heard on the news that there are lots of small earthquakes every day but you never feel them. The bigger ones are pretty rare. I've been in Los Angeles for about 9 months, and there's been a few earthquakes since I've been here, but I never felt them.
I don't think there's anything to be scared of. Earthquakes are something that can't be prevented. I think they should be the last thing you should be scared of. Hell, you live in Florida. You guys are pounded with a trillion hurricanes a year. Earthquakes don't seem like much in comparison. Don't be scared. I was too before I moved out here (I'm from NY), but I'm kind of at ease about them now. :)
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I live in California, and I've never worried about earthquakes. I am 19, and the entire time I've been alive I've never experienced a major earthquake. Once every few years I've experienced a minor earthquake since I live nearly on a fault line; however, they're more fun than anything. You might feel a little shaking but usually the way you notice is something moving (i.e. clothes in a closet). It's all just experience, I'd be kind of scared to live in Florida because of tropical storms.
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I grew up in the LA area, and hey, I made it out alive. All jokes aside, you don't have to worry. Sometimes there are no earthquakes for years, as the answer below mentions, and other times, you might get one or two small earthquakes. The small ones hardly feel like the big earthquakes that you might be thinking of. It's hard to explain what an earthquake feels like...it's basically a big shaking. In LA, there hasn't been a really huge earthquake since January 1994, the Northridge quake, which was scary- it felt like our house (within 20-30 minutes to Northridge) was swaying. I was 9 years old, and it was in the middle of the night. Our whole family went downstairs and sat under the dinner table for a while. So, while it is unpredictable when an earthquake will hit, it is unlikely that something big will happen in the immediate future. And buildings are earthquake safe. If you are concerned, you can read up on earthquake safety tips as a precaution, but don't worry. I wasn't ever scared of encountering an earthquake, and if it does happen, it is usually quick and pretty small....and rare. There are some earthquake fault lines, which is of course why California is known for its earthquakes. But that shouldn't make you feel worried about moving there. Think of it this way- some states in the midwest and south are known for tornadoes and/or thunderstorms, but I don't think that deters people from living there. Nature can be unpredictable, of course, but the chances of encountering something like a major earthquake or tornado aren't THAT big... it might happen, but it's not something you should be totally worried about.
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I live in California and have lived through PLENTY of earthquakes. They ARE pretty scary--when you actually notice them. They don't happen too often, sometimes there will be two in a year, sometimes it will be earthquake free for several years. When it first hits, it's a little terrifying. But don't worry, if you're on a couch or bed or even driving you probably wont feel it--even if it's a 5.0. When you're on your bed it probably wont even be noticeable. On a couch hardly noticeable. When you're driving and and an earthquake hits the car just starts rocking. Although they are terrifying, only a small percentage of the ones in california do real damage.
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