I can give you a good account of the Hector Mine quake. I remember EVERYTHING about the day leading up to it. Having a terrible week at work, being so glad it was Friday. I remember it was one of those over cast days where the sun did not come out...

Anyway I had dinner at KFC that night watched a movie I rented then went to bed. Oh, btw I lived in Brentwood (Barrington near San Vicente) if you are familiar. I fell asleep and was in a deep sleep when I woke up. The earthquake was already going. The whole room was shaking, I remember hearing the windows and the doors rattling, not violently but noticeably! Of course the bed was going. I right away accessed that the event wasn't major. BUT, it had woken me up and it was very obvious we were having and earthquake. It also went on for a very long time and was more of a rolling sensation. Then it slowly just died out. I could hear that moment (I lived in an apt on the first floor) the pitter patter of feet running above me as people were running out of the building. I immediately reached over and turned on my radio scanner which was tuned to the Los Angeles City Fire Dept. and my radio next to my bed. The scanner was abuzz with firemen all over the city calling into the main dispatch to report and earthquake. When they called in they had to announce which part of the ciy their fire house was in so you'd here"OCD(LA's command center) Encino just had and earthquake," then immediately, "OCD Pacific Palisades just experienced and earthquake, Hollywood just felt a moderate tremor" so on and so forth. While at the same time the dispatcher was telling them all the shush, that he knew and was trying to sound a tone to order them to bring their fire apparatus outside and move into citywide "earthquake procedure". At this point I was also listening to KNX and the radio announcer was saying, "we are getting felt reports from all over, we definetly felt it in the studios here in Hollywood but are getting calls from ONtario, Palm Springs, Tarzana, Laguna Beach, now San Diego as well." So it was at this point I knew it was big, but how big. I mean, I was alive and well. NOTHING had fallen or misplaced in my apt. But on the other hand it woke me up, I felt the bed going, the doors rattling and it lasted a long time.

I turned on CNN and they were already reporting that LA had been hit with a 7.0. I thought, "WOW" but then thought, "Could it?" I mean the power was on, again nothing had fallen, I wasn't getting a feel from the scanner that there were any fires and stuff. So anyway I stayed by KNX and KABC for the next 2 hours and soon learned the quake was about 130 miles from me in the desert and was 7.1. I never felt one aftershock. I think the biggest was like a 5.8 so it was interesting how a 5.8 didn't make (I'm sure people on upper floors may have) to be felt but the 7.1 sure did.

On Monday when I went to work our offices were on the 20th floor in Westwood on Sepulveda near Santa Monica blvd. Pictures on the walls were messed up and all the desk drawers were open as if someone had come through in the night on a raid looking for something.

In hindsight I feel like had that quake happened in the day...anyone on any ground floor like a crowded loud resturaunt would have picked up on it. It gave me sense of what to expect from a big one on the San Andreas. If that one was about 130 and the San ANdreas goes and that one is about 80 miles away at say 7.5-7.9 vs. 7.1 for Hector, yeah, I can see how thats going to make for a big scare in LA. Indeed things will get knocked over and plaster is going to go, but I don't surmise the shaking to be so intense that thousands die and there it total ruin. Now closer to the the fault in like the I.E. or desert I am sure it will be different story.

Anyway that is my earthquake story....anyone ever lie in bed at night not being able to sleep and creep yourself out on the what if thought at that moment? WHen they happen and you are in bed its the worse!