A quake of this size has some pretty serious effects,

They're not over. For a shallow-depth earthquake like this they go on, sometimes for a year.

The earthquake was approximately 50 kilometers or 30 miles below the earth's surface.

There are no meets that are for sure. Everybody is pretty tough.

Clearly, adverse effects of ephedrine alkaloids can be serious, and indeed, fatal,

It was a combination of both. We got lucky because of the depth of the quake. But without the improved seismological science and improved building codes, I think the situation would have been much more deadly.