Driving during an earthquake

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I was in the Loma Prieta earthquake of '89. That's the 7.1 that hit during the opening ceremony of the 2nd game of the World Series...if the quake is large enough and you happen to be driving, it'll feel somewhat like a flat tire/going flat.
 
I'm sure that your location, the magnitude of the quake, and the surface you're driving on will have a varied effect...I was stationary in a car during a 5.0 quake and it bounced slightly but given the exponential energy release difference between say a 4.0 and a 7.0, it'll likely only impact your actually driving if it's strong enough to buckle the road or create fissures.

Loma Prieta was the only one that actually scared me after getting used to multiple 3 and 4 magnitude quakes for years...my guess is I would've a lot felt safer driving than being where I was at that point. If the New Madrid fault really goes off in the Midwest that'll be a potentially horrific thing...especially if there's no real "earthquake culture" existing around the event.
 
Originally Posted by Vuflanovsky
I'm sure that your location, the magnitude of the quake, and the surface you're driving on will have a varied effect...I was stationary in a car during a 5.0 quake and it bounced slightly but given the exponential energy release difference between say a 4.0 and a 7.0, it'll likely only impact your actually driving if it's strong enough to buckle the road or create fissures.

Loma Prieta was the only one that actually scared me after getting used to multiple 3 and 4 magnitude quakes for years...my guess is I would've a lot felt safer driving than being where I was at that point. If the New Madrid fault really goes off in the Midwest that'll be a potentially horrific thing...especially if there's no real "earthquake culture" existing around the event.





Born and raised in CA and the Loma Prieta (I was living in San Jose at the time in an apt) was the first time I ever saw the earth actually move in a wave like motion, you could actually see it. It took 3dys for a building inspector to get out and inspect the apartment building and deem it safe. There were multiple cracks in the stucco (all superficial) and some on the slab but it passed inspection. Plus PG&E had to come out and inspect the gas before people were allowed back in. Immediately following the quake a few residents thought they smelled gas and the FD told everyone to stay out until inspection. Turns out no leaks, but if you remember the Northridge quake.. entire buildings went up due to broken gas lines.
 
Originally Posted by rubberchicken
I was in Maryland close to the big 2011 earthquake. I had only been in one other quake, but it was in California. Almost nobody in Maryland knew what was going on- when it started it took me 2-3 seconds to figure out what was happening, and I bolted for the exit yelling "earthquake !! ". 98% of the staff at work thought I was crazy until their cell phones went berserk with emergency calls. I was really surprised how most people just froze because they could not grasp what was happening.



Rubberchicken... That was a 6.2 Richter quake. I was on the 5th floor of an all-glass exterior building when it struck. I was watching the sides of the windows bowing and waving -it was amazing. We evacuated the building and fortunately, I had my car keys... after 20 minutes of standing in the parking lot, I drove home. While driving home, there were reports of more after-shocks as I was driving. -Didn't feel a thing in the car. My wife at home distinctly felt the after shocks.

BTW: My 2400lb manual lathe in the garage was not bolted to the floor... It moved about 1.5" diagonally away from the wall. Many of the kitchen cabinet doors opened and the bathroom shelves with various common toiletries all fell to the floor. Man, that was something else. My wife said the dogs were freaked-out and acting really weird about 2 hours before it all happened. It was a beautiful day and they did not want to go out -and they ALWAYS want to go outside (heck, I gottta be careful they don't see me typing that word lest they start bugging me to go "you know where").



Ray
 
Originally Posted by RayCJ
Originally Posted by rubberchicken
I was in Maryland close to the big 2011 earthquake. I had only been in one other quake, but it was in California. Almost nobody in Maryland knew what was going on- when it started it took me 2-3 seconds to figure out what was happening, and I bolted for the exit yelling "earthquake !! ". 98% of the staff at work thought I was crazy until their cell phones went berserk with emergency calls. I was really surprised how most people just froze because they could not grasp what was happening.



Rubberchicken... That was a 6.2 Richter quake. I was on the 5th floor of an all-glass exterior building when it struck. I was watching the sides of the windows bowing and waving -it was amazing. We evacuated the building and fortunately, I had my car keys... after 20 minutes of standing in the parking lot, I drove home. While driving home, there were reports of more after-shocks as I was driving. -Didn't feel a thing in the car. My wife at home distinctly felt the after shocks.

BTW: My 2400lb manual lathe in the garage was not bolted to the floor... It moved about 1.5" diagonally away from the wall. Many of the kitchen cabinet doors opened and the bathroom shelves with various common toiletries all fell to the floor. Man, that was something else. My wife said the dogs were freaked-out and acting really weird about 2 hours before it all happened. It was a beautiful day and they did not want to go out -and they ALWAYS want to go outside (heck, I gottta be careful they don't see me typing that word lest they start bugging me to go "you know where").

Ray


I didn't remember how powerful it was, but any quake that you can feel on the East Coast is unusual. Typically a loud noise or heavy vibration would be caused by a Air Force or Navy jet.
 
Living in So California I have been through a few. Depends on the type of quake. Some make the road move in waves like the ocean. Really strange. Usually you don't notice since the roads are so bad here anyway. You find out by alerts or radio station.
 
Originally Posted by rubberchicken
I was in Maryland close to the big 2011 earthquake. I had only been in one other quake, but it was in California. Almost nobody in Maryland knew what was going on- when it started it took me 2-3 seconds to figure out what was happening, and I bolted for the exit yelling "earthquake !! ". 98% of the staff at work thought I was crazy until their cell phones went berserk with emergency calls. I was really surprised how most people just froze because they could not grasp what was happening.



Great job ^^^^^^^^^^

Seriously. You did exactly the right thing..
 
Originally Posted by rubberchicken
Originally Posted by RayCJ
Originally Posted by rubberchicken
I was in Maryland close to the big 2011 earthquake. I had only been in one other quake, but it was in California. Almost nobody in Maryland knew what was going on- when it started it took me 2-3 seconds to figure out what was happening, and I bolted for the exit yelling "earthquake !! ". 98% of the staff at work thought I was crazy until their cell phones went berserk with emergency calls. I was really surprised how most people just froze because they could not grasp what was happening.



Rubberchicken... That was a 6.2 Richter quake. I was on the 5th floor of an all-glass exterior building when it struck. I was watching the sides of the windows bowing and waving -it was amazing. We evacuated the building and fortunately, I had my car keys... after 20 minutes of standing in the parking lot, I drove home. While driving home, there were reports of more after-shocks as I was driving. -Didn't feel a thing in the car. My wife at home distinctly felt the after shocks.

BTW: My 2400lb manual lathe in the garage was not bolted to the floor... It moved about 1.5" diagonally away from the wall. Many of the kitchen cabinet doors opened and the bathroom shelves with various common toiletries all fell to the floor. Man, that was something else. My wife said the dogs were freaked-out and acting really weird about 2 hours before it all happened. It was a beautiful day and they did not want to go out -and they ALWAYS want to go outside (heck, I gottta be careful they don't see me typing that word lest they start bugging me to go "you know where").

Ray


I didn't remember how powerful it was, but any quake that you can feel on the East Coast is unusual. Typically a loud noise or heavy vibration would be caused by a Air Force or Navy jet.


That 2011 Quake was centered in Virginia.

A couple years ago, we had this baby 1.5 quake centered within 30 miles from my house: https://earthquaketrack.com/quakes/2017-10-30-00-34-30-utc-1-5-2 I was sitting on a floor pillow. My house has a slab foundation and the concrete felt like a distinct kick in the butt. I also hear a very loud bang outside. A deep boom followed by a roaring rumble. I seriously though a plane from BWI (large airport that can handle 747's) crashed somewhere nearby. It was late, around 10pm and I called the police a few moments after it happened -I was convinced an airplane went down nearby. The dispatcher was getting more incoming calls as we spoke. Anyhow, yes. It was very loud.


Ray
 
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