I fear earthquakes for the same reason. When we went through our big one here (WA) in 01, I was at work, (now ex) husband was at work across the lake, dad was at work 15 miles South, and my kids were 45 miles away. It took me hours to find out my kids were ok.
My mom was telling me earlier that when they lived in Alabama and went through a hurricane warning once, my grandparents were visiting from So. Cal. Grandma said she would take an earthquake anyday, because it just happened and you didn't sit around for hours waiting through the scare.
I recently visited California, and every time I drove on a bridge, the thought of an earthquake entered my mind.