Unless the epicenter is right under you often you don't really experience the earthquakes until they are around 5.0

At that point 5.0 they start to become pretty scary even here in California where we actually have building codes stringent enough so you don't die when you get a 3.0 or above like most 3rd world countries on earth. So, you aren't going to die in an earthquake likely if your house is up to code and wasn't built 150 years ago and wasn't retrofitted for earthquakes. The most important thing is to have a cement foundations (even pier block) and have your home bolted to the cement under your home. Otherwise, anything above about a 3.0 earthquake could move your home off it's foundation to a greater or lesser degree. But, by the time you get to 5.0 earthquakes it definitely is going to start to move a non-bolted house off it's foundation which is really problematic for everyone concerned.

I like to tell a story of a 5.0 earthquake which was the scariest earthquake I have  been through and this was 20 years ago now. Because my youngest daughter is now going to be 25 soon. So, it happened 20 years ago this coming summer in Orange, California at my cousins house there. My 5 year old daughter was floating on a floating inflatable toy in the swimming pool outside. So, I was running between the living room and watching the news and running out to make sure my 5 year old as okay in the pool playing. So, the 5.0 earthquake hit and I ran to the pool terrified of my 5 year old daughter's well being.

The water was sloshing out of the pool in 1 foot high increments so I told my 5 year old to swim to the center of the pool because I didn't want her to hit her head on the side of the tile on the side of the pool. I was very scared at this point because the water was sloshing in a very violent way. But, luckily my 5 year old did exactly what I told her until the earthquake started to settle down after several minutes and everything turned out okay. Most of the water stayed out of the house too during all this sloshing and went instead into the driveway and into the yard which was much better. So, the damage was very very slight for us then from the earthquake and totally limited to water damage from it sloshing out of the swimming pool.