As a born and raised Californian, let me tell you that earthquakes are NOTHING. They happen around once a year in my area and usually, the furniture and chandeliers shake for 10-15 seconds before everything is still again. Keep in mind that the intensity of an earthquake varies depending on how far you are from the source-- an 8.5 earthquake may be totally terrifying for someone 5-10 miles from the source while only half the people in surrounding areas feel as much as a slight vibration. That being said, I was not alive for the 1989 earthquake, the most recent "big" one. I can't REALLY talk until something huge has happened around here, but no one around here gives a second thought to earthquakes. We all think you midwesterners and coastal people are insane for knowingly living somewhere where you must somehow survive through tornadoes and hurricanes
