My first California quake was terrifying. But the Big One will be much worse, writes Jeff Yang for CNNOpinion.
Jeff Yang is a frequent contributor to CNN Opinion, a featured writer for Quartz and other publications, and the co-host of the podcast"They Call Us Bruce." He co-wrote Jackie Chan's best-selling autobiography,"I Am Jackie Chan" and is the editor of three graphic novels:"Secret Identities,""Shattered" and the forthcoming"New Frontiers." The opinions expressed in this commentary are his. Read more opinion articles on CNN.
"They say you never forget your first time," a friend of mine texted to me, shortly after Saturday's Ridgecrest earthquake, which hit 7.1 on the Richter scale -- putting it firmly into"major quake" category. I've lived in Los Angeles for the past half-decade; this was the first significant temblor that I've experienced, and, to my friend's point, the sensation was both terrifying and uncanny.
Jeff Yang We were camping up in the mountains by Lake Piru in Ventura County, about 150 miles away from the epicenter. My 11-year-old son and I were brushing our teeth when the quake hit. The bathroom stall doors began flipping back and forth. Water in the sinks sloshed. The floor felt rubbery and unsteady, like a boat rocking in a squall. When we rushed outside, cars were jolting forward and back on their wheels, and the trees were swaying without breeze.
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