Nisqually quake - 6.8 in 2001. Working at Boeing on Duwamish River - 2nd floor. Dove under the desk. Ceiling tiles crashing down everywhere. Computers and monitors shook right off the desks. When shaking finally stopped, went into hallway to get out. A one foot wave of water coming down the hallway (main water pipe broke). Hasty retreat got even faster...
8th grade social studies on the 2nd floor of Montesano Jr/Sr High. The whole floor was rolling and desks were bouncing across the room. I'll never forget our teacher "oh fuck, it's an earthquake!"
Three things I remember vividly about that experience.
One, it was pretty amazing the noise that the building made when the quake was happening. I’m not sure where it was coming from. Maybe the elevators moving inside the shaft? It sounded like someone was driving a forklift down the hallways and running into the walls.
Secondly, looking at the windows go slightly out of square as the building shook. It must have swayed slightly to make that happen.
Lastly, you couldn’t get a cell phone call off to save your life. I was trying to call my then wife to let her know that I was heading home immediately to check on the house and animals. I still have some visible damage to some concrete at the entrance of my crawl space from that quake.
SF
2001, working at a cabinet shop in Monroe by Fryelands. Heard it 1st then the shaking. Walking in the parking lot wa crazy with the waves rolling under ther pavement, almost got land sick
At the end of an earthquake awareness workshop that I took about 40 years ago, the instructor told the class: "If you remember nothing else from today, when you go home tonight, put a crowbar under your bed. And a pair of boots."
As Stonefish saw, framing can get wracked out of square, so doors can be jammed shut. You want to be able to escape, and help others escape.
The boots are for stepping on glass and other debris.
I also put a pair of gloves, a hardhat, and a flashlight under my bed, beside my crowbar.
1999, Helendale, CA. 7.4 hits @ 5am. Darn thing hit so hard it tossed me off the bed. I grab pillow and blanket, and climb into the tub and go back to sleep.
regarding duck and cover...my generation was the one that in grade school was put through nuke attack drills where the teacher would order us to cower under our little chair desks. During the 62' Cuban Missle crisis we were drilling every morning after roll call. In the evening our parents would anxiously watch black and white TV's showing the missile laden ships heading to Cuba, the US Naval blockade waiting, and repeated footage of nuke blast tests on Pacific atolls...little wonder our generation blew off the restraints a few years later when the era of sex, drugs and rock and roll arrived.
My Dad was expecting the 1965 Puget Sound 6.7 quake 33 days after the 9.2 Alaska quake. I was riding my bicycle to school when the road began undulating up and down like exercise battle ropes - heavy ropes. I stopped and watched the telephone poles waving from side to side. Lasted for around 30 seconds.
2001 Nisqually 6.8 quake, I was in my office in downtown Tacoma on the bottom floor of a newer brick-faced 5-story office building. My office was 1 door away and 20 ft from the front door. Contrary to the mandatory drills we did where I crawled under my desk, I immediately walked out the front door and across the street to the parking lot where our emergency assembly area was and watched the lamp poles and the building flagpole wave from side to side. Didn't notice any damage near me.
Recent 4.3 Whidbey quake, heard what sounded like somebody exploding fireworks after a local sports team victory. No shaking noticed in the house. Our dog was pretty skittish for awhile afterwards. Didn't even know it happened until the next morning's ECOMM net.
When the '96 quake hit, I was in the Sodo Home Depot. That is not the most stable ground. I was in one of those isles with 20' tall steel racks with thousands of pounds of merchandise overhead. I made a quick exit to the garden center.
I was in the bay area for the '89 earthquake. I was stationed at Mare island. Of course the next day we went to Berkeley and saw the people protesting the earthquake. We also saw the people protesting the protesters. Lol.
For those of you who are interested, UCBerkley Siesmology has an app in the Android app store called My Shake. Easy to use and set up. Comes with a warning sub app.
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