Here's the thing about Earthquakes: Almost every earthquake does some damage it's just how much?

 When I start to observe houses and streets and buildings more is when they are above 4.0 in size. I wrote about a 5.0 with my youngest daughter in a pool when she was 5 where the water was sloshing out of the swimming pool and I was scared she would be knocked out on the edge of the pool. However, she listened to what I was saying and swam to the center of the pool so she wasn't knocked out or killed on her float.

But, like I said every earthquake does damage it's just how much? And can you even see the damage it does. 

For example, in houses in California often there are little cracks that tend to get bigger over time some places in houses and apartments. Once again, how bad are these cracks you see inside homes and apartments. I mean are spiders crawling out from these cracks? or can you smell the dirt under the house or apartment through these cracks. Or is it a bigger problem like your home being thrown off the foundation which often happens in quakes above 6.0 around the Western States?

You really don't want to be driving on a freeway or anyplace for that matter in quakes above 5.0 simply because it becomes dangerous. So, if you are aware something is wrong (which is hard to know often when driving because you are already bouncing around on roads) if you can ascertain you are in an earthquake it is better to drive to the edge of the road and wait until the quake is over.

Walking in an earthquake is often a problem above 6.0 but even in a 5.0 or 4.0 you might see waves of dirt coming at you or going away from you sort of like waves on the ocean and when these dirt waves hit a building they make a "Bang" like a cannon going off. So, this is something you have to get used to especially if you live in California. I have only seen this once in the Malibu area where I could see the dirt waves coming toward me at about 3 feet high and hitting a church I was attending and the lady pastor screamed and walked off the platform then in distress. I was outside but I could hear her scream even outside then.