[selchie]

I have lived in California all my life, and it is about as seismically active as NZ. Generally a 5.4 quake isn't nasty. That said, the only quake that has ever scared me was about that magnitude. The epicenter was only about 15 miles away, the jolt was very sudden, and it woke me up out of a dead sleep. Even so, we only lost one wine glass that fell out of the cabinet, and local damage was minimal.

I have felt stronger and more damaging quakes, but was too far away to experience the bad stuff. Generally I enjoy earthquakes, though after the scary one I mentioned, I am a bit more cautious when I feel one roll in. Most are over before I realize what they are. My washing machine can shake the house more.

Just learn what to do in the event of a quake, perhaps get an emergency kit set up in case of a big one that knocks out services, and try not to worry. (The kit can be useful for other emergencies, like storms). There are worse things to worry about, like distracted drivers.