I heard on the news there was an earthquake in California, and that there
were to be serious after-shocks. I seem also to recall something about
fatalities. How bad was it?

The important question is "Is everyone, and their kin, OK?" Did you suffer
much property damage? And, in the grand scheme of things, a trivial
question about a relatively unimportant issue: "Did your orchids come
through OK, or did your growing area suffer damage, and falling things
damage your plants?"

Cheers,

Ted