<p>We felt it here and we’re 310 miles away from the epicenter. DD16 came running into our bedroom at around 5:40 this morning. DS17 and DS13 slept through it.</p>
<p>Yep, actually woke us up. Bizarre and unnerving not knowing what was causing it. An earthquake was the furthest thing from our minds. It even set off a neighbor’s house alarm. Cali folks must be a tough breed…</p>
<p>Felt it here - a few hours away from the epicenter, it first sounded like major rainstorm hitting the siding on the house. I quickly realized what it was, however, as I live very near the New Madrid Fault Line. I was never really able to go back to sleep. I hope tonight will be calm and quiet!</p>
<p>Glad you are all ok. Our paper says people here felt it, but not me. Musta slept right through it.</p>
<p>We’re about 400 miles away and didn’t feel it, but the dog woke up and started barking. According to the local news some here and even further away felt it. I’ve been through 3 earthquakes when we lived in Europe and am glad I slept through this one. Hope everyone’s okay.</p>
<p>Heading to Illinois this afternoon for the weekend. Hope there aren’t any aftershocks!!!</p>
<p>It woke me up here west of Chicago. The bed was creaking. Of course, I couldn’t fall back asleep either.</p>
<p>Hubby was already up getting ready for work and didn’t notice the movement.</p>
<p>I don’t really know the exact distance, but am guessing about 100 miles away. It woke H, D, S and myself up. Definitely felt the shaking and windows rattling. My first thought was a tornado, but it didn’t make sense because it wasn’t raining outside. Second thought was an earthquake. Very weird thing for a lifelong midwesterner. According to the local news there have been aftershocks, but we’ve not felt them.</p>
<p>I’ve lived through numerous earthquakes living in Socal…the small 3.0-4.0 shakers you just brush off. </p>
<p>I lived in Northridge during the 1994 6.7 earthquake…the shaking was so strong it nearly threw me out of my bed…my parents have a swimming pool in the backyard…half the water was sloshed from the pool over the roof of the house and into the front yard. The back windows were wet and the water partially soaked the living room carpet through a gap in the patio doors. All kitchen cabinet contents were emptied onto the floor and counters. It was really quite scary. Keep in mind that the Richter scale is a logarithmic scale, so each whole number increase in magnitude represents a tenfold increase in amplitude - and 31.6 times as much energy released.</p>
<p>A 5.3 is a moderate earthquake. Even though I’ve experienced quite a few in my lifetime, I still get chills hearing that eerie freight train sound coming at you and the initial p-shockwave. An initial small shaker can get stronger as the shaking continues.</p>
<p>Some safety tips to keep in mind from your fellow Californian:
- If an earthquake strikes while you’re in bed it’s safer, experts say, to cover up with your pillow and stay in bed to ride it out. Just make sure you don’t have any large mirrors or glass over your bed.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>If you’re in the kitchen, get out as quickly as you can and seek shelter in another room. There are too many objects in the kitchen to contend with.</p></li>
<li><p>Duck and cover under a desk or table, or get down in a hallway to ride it out.</p></li>
<li><p>Experts now recommend not bracing yourself in a doorway…if the shaking becomes strong enough, and you have a swinging door it could pinch your hands.</p></li>
<li><p>If you’re in a car, you probably won’t feel moderate quakes, but pull over safely clear of electrical lines and overpasses.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Try to remain calm, don’t panic and don’t run out of a building if you’re in one.</p>
<p>^^^ Thanks for the tips.</p>
<p>The other thing I noticed was that the birds outside were chirping ridiculously loud for that time of morning.</p>
<p>^ Yes, animals have a sense earthquakes are coming.</p>
<p>Jym, that’s interesting that folks in Atlanta felt it. My H is out of town (Germany) and I’ve been staying up late (3 a.m. last night) and sleeping in. This morning, I woke up before 7 and couldn’t believe it, and couldn’t get back to sleep. I wonder if I did feel or hear something, but it was over before I was conscious. What’s the time difference between Chicago and Atlanta - 1 hour?</p>
<p>Hi binx-
Yes- I believe it is a 1 hr time difference. I was up at 6:40–don’t remember feeling anything shake, rattle or roll.</p>
<p>People in Atlanta felt it? It is a one hour time difference between the two cities. I can vouch for the fact that it was 5:37 EST that we felt it here in Toledo. It felt like an underground explosion, followed by a 10 second tremor. A lady, here in our area, said it knocked her sleeping parrot off his perch. The only damage I’ve heard about is in Louisville, KY.</p>
<p>Co-worker here in Nashville (northern suburb) felt it. I did not.</p>
<p>S mentioned his science teacher would be pretty exicited today as she has some equipment buried at his MS that measures seismic activity. She’s one of about a dozen teachers in the country that received the equipment. I’m sure he’ll come home today full of knowledge 
</p>
<p>UCB–thanks for the tips. The first thing S said was to get in a doorway, but the shakes were over by then. My reaction was to go to the basement. (Again, the tornado thing is imbedded in my brain.) We stayed in bed, but not because we’re smart. We were trying to figure out what the heck was happening.</p>
<p>I lived through several in AK.</p>
<p>The most important factor is that there is a difference in damage whether it is shallow or not…shallow causes more damage.</p>
<p>I remember living through a 5.3 in AK (did no damage since it was deep) Someone once told me when we first got there that earthquakes feel like you are on a rollercoaster…I agree, it also feels like you’re on a cruise ship in turbulant water. There is the feeling that you are trying to find your sea legs, the ground is moving up and down in a low degree, also can be described like “jumping waves at the beach”</p>
<p>To all of you in the area, obviously you still have utilities, so I am happy for you all. Remember to wait until tonight to walk around the house straightening pictures in case you have more aftershocks. We had so many tiny earthquakes, that when I first moved there I was straightening pics on the wall almost daily (cursing and muttering sure that my little ones were touching them), it was only after the big one that I realized they were moving due to tremors ;)</p>
<p>Does this mean all those people who are frightened of California because of earthquakes will now flee the midwest as well?</p>
<p>^ I remember watching a special on earthquakes…the host mentioned the least prone areas in the U.S. to earthquakes are the gulf coast (Houston to Florida)…however, those areas are regularly striken by hurricanes, so pick your poison.</p>
<p>We live in Franklin, TN and felt it this morning. Our bedroom lamps were shaking and our dog was very upset. It didn’t concern us enough to get out of the bed or even turn on the t.v., though. My sister lives in southern Indiana near Evansville and she said their house shook a lot and they ran outside. My parents live in Louisville, KY and my mom said there was some minor damage there.</p>