The fault line up in Ridgecrest is not the San Andreas fault line. The second earthquake 30 hours later from the 6.4 was devastating. A 7.1 is much more powerful than the Northridge earthquake (which I live 3 miles away from the epicenter that day). I truly feel for the people in Ridgecrest and the area 10 miles around there. Everything fell off the shelves. The furniture fell down. The fridgerator went down (it tipped). Cracks all over, in buildings and streets.
For those who are in Los Angeles, both earthquakes felt like gentle rolling waves, swaying nicely. Maybe a 3.5 to a 4 , but nothing fell down. Yes, the lights were swaying, the grandfather clock dinged, and the swing set in the backyard was swinging, and well as water from the pools moving, but other than that, nothing much. To the people that are freaking out who live in Los Angeles, come on, you are ok. A train moving on a train track generates more movement. Most of them have never been through a powerful earthquake, so they don't know.
What is did is trigger a wave of people (including us) making sure we have enough water, fresh batteries in the flashlights, and special lights that go on when the power go off. And lots of chatter. Also, lots of calls from people out of California concerned that we are ok. Yes, anyone in Southern California is fine. But anyone near Ridgecrest is not - it will take months to recover.
=====================
I learned a lot from the Northridge earthquake. One, they are unpredictable. Two, dont put your flashlights in drawers. Those big cabinets, and dressers you think won't fall. They did. Flashlights should be under the bed, or somewhere you can reach them. Three, all lights go off, and I mean everything. We did not have cell phones back then, but man, those count as flashlights or a light source. We needed them badly when everything is pitch black, and you can't get to flashlights because the dresser fell down on them drawers. Four, you need socks and sandles or something close. I did not. Wound up going downstairs, in the dark, until I found a flashlight, went into the kitchen, lifted the fridge by myself (everything went out of it on the floor, then realized only 10 minutes later than I was bleeding from my feet, hands and arms. In the kitchen, all glasses and plates went out and smashed into pieces. In the living room, anything on shelves went down and smashed. Garage door did not open (electric was out), but worse, items around the car moved so we couldn't even more the car until we cleared it, but with aftershocks coming fast, we knew we needed to be outside. And yes, a toilet broke (all water went out of it), but it also cracked.
=============
So I find it funny that the newscaster clamming for a story are asking people in Venice, Santa Monica if they are ok. Duh. They are in Los Angeles county. The stories need to come up from Ridgecrest, 120 miles away, where I truly feel bad and understand just what they are going through, especially the children. By the way, the aftershocks there will continue on for 2+ months or more.
