In 1989, my grandparent's house was pretty much squashed by the earthquake in Northern California. It was a very old and not very well constructed house, and when we got there a few hours after the shaking stopped we found their chimney on the living room floor. A huge china closet fell forward and pinned my grandfather to the dining room table, but he wasn't seriously hurt, physically. Emotionally, though, I think it changed him. He was 86 then, and he didn't seem like an old person to me until after the quake. He died last August at 96. He had a good life overall I think.