Notifications are rare because you need to be far enough from the epicenter that the difference between the speed of the earthquake (speed of sound in rock) and the speed of the notification (speed of light through the internet) is great enough to matter. But at the same time you can't be too far from the epicenter or the shaking where you are will be negligible and the alert pointless. Most earthquakes are too small to have a significant ring around them where notification makes sense.

Interesting. How far are you from the epicenter ? I am in SF, and did not get the message... and did not feel anything either.

Reminds me of https://xkcd.com/723/

Hm, for most buildings, stepping outside is one of the most dangerous things you can do during an earthquake. It's common for bricks, shards of glass, large tree branches, power lines, and all kinds of things to come crashing to the ground in the immediate vicinity of buildings.

If you are inside, stay inside and get under a sturdy piece of furniture, such as your office desk. If you are outside, run the hell away from structures and trees toward the most open space you can get to.

I'm next door in Grass Valley, and basically the same experience here.

Also, I don't run into many HN folks in/from this area, let's get in touch and maybe meet up sometime.

This wasn't in the bay area.

That said, I'd rather have a lot of magnitude <4 earthquakes than one big one, if that's what it takes to relieve the stress.

USGS has the data, but I'd say I've noticed fewer.