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I lived in SF in 1989 when the Loma Prieta quake hit,
AKA the World Series Quake. 6.9

I lived in a high-rise apartment complex near the beach, several buildings. A few minutes before the quake, I decided to drive up to a lookout point in Seaview, which overlooked the Golden Gate. Golf course nearby, expensive homes etc. On the way there, while driving thru Golden Gate Park, I felt like I had a flat tire. BUT, I wasn’t moving so it was probably a quake. No biggie. Continued my drive, lots of people running out into the streets from homes, apis on the way there.

I thought, “must be a lot of new people here if they think that was a big one.” Got to my destination, golfers waved as they kept playing, (one reason I love golfers) a man joined me on the bench and started telling me about big quake. Wasn’t big, I said. Yes, just turn around, see that smoke? Buildings fallen down, gas mains broken and burning, chaos.

I drove back home, along the beach route where there was not much traffic nor stoplights. Got to my building, people milling outside, elevators broken. I ran upstairs to my 5th floor apt, halls full of debris from fallen ceilings. My next-door neighbor, with whom I shared the long common wall, was screaming for help, couldn’t open her door. I gave it a good shove and it opened, her apartment was a. mess with the china cabinet overturned broken glass, lots of damage. Then we went to my apt. Door opened easily. We both gasped. NO DAMAGE. Zero. I had a china vase on the coffee table that fell off but didn’t break.

My cat was fine, just rather irritated that I’d left him alone to hold it together. Hero cat.

Because we were on sandy soil, buildings in our complex were among the worst damaged, with refrigerators flying out windows, etc. Red Cross set up stations in them.

You’re better off to be on rocky soil, where you feel a quake as a sort of a bounce, and you feet might even leave the ground. But stuff tends to stay in place. The most personal damage in quakes is caused by BOOKS, heavy objects with sharp corners, so don’t have a bookcase near your bed.