This one woke me up. My first thought was to wonder how the guard dog
got under the bed to make it shake so. Then, of course, I realized it
was a quake. There seemed to be three shocks during the first quake.
Being awakened by one is for sure disconcerting. The Northridge quake
damned near threw me completely out of bed. I tried to go down the
hall and bounced from one wall to the other. We were in Redondo Beach,
much too close to the epicenter. I was surprised more buildings did
not fall.
Biggest thrill from a quake was Camp Zama, Japan, 1956. I was standing
on a drafting stool working on a huge wall map. The guys said I did a
good imitation of Elvis doing a hula hoop.
We can only hope that the New Madrid does not come apart during our
lives. Be prepared.