The main point is, most folks don't know the danger exists, and an East Coast quake, with most cities not built to withstand a tremor (no earthquake codes), could be a disaster and horror, depending on the intensity of the quake, which, I, for one, hope to never witness or experience.

Absolutely. For an example of this phenomenon, see
http://www.allshookup.org/images/ncquake/ncquake.htm

When it happened, it was hard to believe that a 5.6 could do so much damage, but it was exactly as you state above.