Rolling earthquakes are usually easier to ride out. I was in Los Angeles (Hollywood area) when the 1994 Northridge Quake (6.7 Richter) hit and the motion was very much a violent up and down motion and it lasted for about 30 seconds. There is an earthquake fault about a half-mile or so north of where I live and when the Northridge Quake hit, dozens of other smaller faults also let go, including the one near my home. Try to imagine the effect as sort of being in a plane with really severe turbulence. Like you, I waited for a bigger after shock, but, thankfully, it never came. However, there were lots of smaller aftershocks that happened over several days with the 24-36 hours after the main quake being the worst. Everything that was above floor level in my apartment was knocked to the floor, making a layer about a foot deep on the floor. The only item that didn't fall was a lamp clamped to a built-in side table next t o my bed. During one rapid cluster of aftershocks, the lamp wobbled, the clamp failed, and it, too, joined all the items on the floor...
The main quake often is not the most nerve-wracking experience. It's the aftershocks that will really test your nerves since you aren't sure if they will be large, small, few, or many. I remember sitting there on my bed in the darkness as aftershock after aftershock hit and wondering "Is this what it's like to be depth charged?"...
Kudos for being considerate enough to give the plaque to the victim's family. There are decent people in this world...
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