I grew up in lightning country. Bolts hit in the street in front of the house, behind the house,the building next to me, the building I was in, the tower next to me, the tree next to me...I did live on a ridgeline for the last 4. In town, the house never got hit. And the ridge? Well, the house we lived in had been hit several times prior to us moving in. The year before they'd rewired the whole thing after one fried the wiring (and blew the sockets out of the walls! Shoved the bedside tables across the room! Scared the grad students shitless!)

I've enjoyed each of the three I've felt. Admittedly, I haven't experienced a Northridge or a Loma Prieta, but I find myself taking a rather Zen (if Zen can be Zen when your pulse is racing) attitude about the magnitude. Things happen. Enjoy the ride.

Erin, was that back in April? I was in Lawrence for the weekend and while some there said they felt it, I must have slept through.

Now Sean's got me almost wanting to feel one.

I didn't notice anything either. From what I understand though, if the New Madrid fault has a big one, it will be felt over an immense area due to the geography.

The Northridge quake (shudder) has ruined me for others. Even a small one is like OMGWTFNOOOOO!!

Now Sean's got me almost wanting to feel one.

That's what she said.

This one didn't freak me out at all and I think it was the biggest one I have felt in the almost 4 years I have lived in LA. Nothing has yet to scare the crap out of me like the Nisqually earthquake in 2001.

I had lighting hit the phone line and power lines into my house. My first thought was that the house had been hit by a car, because it was very loud and the house shook. It took out everything that was drawing power at the time: dryer, VCR, television and cordless phones, plus the kitchen appliances on one circuit. It fried the computer modem (one day before the warranty expired) but didn't hurt the computer, which fortunately wasn't on at the time. My great grandmother's sister was killed by lightning while trying to bring clothes in from the line. According to family legend, she was wearing a shirtwaist with metal buttons down the front and she had burns from each button.

I've lived in tornado country most of my life. I've debated whether it's more worrisome to live in hurricane country, where you have lots of warning, or earthquake country, where you have none. The problem with tornado country is that it's the boy who cried wolf land. We get so many tornado warnings that don't turn into tornadoes that it's hard to take them seriously.

I've always thought a grocery store would be a bad place to be during an earthquake. So many heavy objects to fall off a shelf and hit you on the head, so few places to take cover.

The problem with tornado country is that it's the boy who cried wolf land. We get so many tornado warnings that don't turn into tornadoes that it's hard to take them seriously.

I think that happens with hurricaines too. "This house has taken a hundred years of storms..." Sure, but now its a hundred year old house, dude.

I don't blame people, really. Evacuations can be nightmareish and most storms you just loose power or have a little flooding.