On October 30th at 8:16 pm, Paula Revere published the following alert to the Santa Cruz Indymedia newswire, "At approximately 8:08 p.m., a mild earthquake rumbled Santa Cruz County. It seemed to last about 10-20 seconds, at maximum, but it was definitely obvious that it was an earthquake. As details become available, I will post more. I felt this from mid-county and apparently the heart of the quake was in Milpitas/San Jose."

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reports, "a moderate earthquake occurred at 8:04:54 PM (PDT) on Tuesday, October 30, 2007. The magnitude 5.6 event occurred 8 km (5 miles) NNE of Alum Rock, CA."

People all over the Monterey Bay Area, Central Valley and Northern California have commented about how the earthquake felt in their communities. A Hughsonite commented, "I live about 3 miles outside of Hughson, and I didn't feel a thing. But a friend in town did. And if someone in Sonora did, I guess I must have just not been paying attention. Speaking of Sonora, and Turlock, and Merced, and all you other Central Valley people, check out www.geocities.com/anarcho209 for a radical local journal. And keep watching Indybay!"

What did you and your community experience during the earthquake? Do you feel you were prepared for an earthquake? What steps should our communities be taking to organize before, during and after an earthquake, fire, etc.. Read More and Comment

related: A Town Beseiged: Potrero Residents Battling Blackwater Now Suffer Ravages of Wildfire || The Shock Doctrine: Naomi Klein on the Rise of Disaster Capitalism || Malik Rahim Speaks to Northwesterners of Unity, Preparedness, Faith