The extent of the damage from last Monday's 6.6 magnitude earthquake became clearer earlier this week when California Governor Pete Wilson said he expected losses to exceed the $30 billion of 1992's Hurricane Andrew.

Until the Northridge quake, Andrew had been the costliest natural disaster in US history.

The quake has killed 57 and made more than 25,000 homeless. More than 8,000 have been injured.

One survivor, Ms Jill Murphy Donnellan, who was Miss Bermuda 1980, shared her first-hand experience of the Los Angeles earthquake with The Royal Gazette .

She is now pursuing an acting, writing, and production career in California.

At 4.31 a.m. on Monday, January 17, Martin Luther King's birthday, I was rudely awakened by an explosive sound.

I sat up in bed, not quite comprehending what was happening. Within seconds, I realised we were going through a tremendous earthquake.

Paralysed with fear, I sat in my bed holding on while it shook, buckled and trembled beneath me. I watched the walls of my condo move in, then out.

Pictures flew off the wall, ornaments and books crashed to the ground, my dog and cat were trying desperately to find a safe place.

The entire condo shook with spasms for 45 seconds, while a deep ominous rumbling filled the air, My mind was screaming at me, "This is it ... this is the BIG ONE''.

It went on for an eternity. I rushed out of bed, grabbing a pair of sweats and stood in the doorway waiting hesitatingly ... nothing.

Everything was quiet, no hum of the heater, no drone of the refrigerator ... just an unsettling darkness and stillness.

I rushed outside colliding with a neighbour who was as confused and shocked as I was and fell into my arms as we hugged each other and cried.

The night was alight with blowing transformers, explosions of gas pipelines, and the dust from collapsed buildings. Not knowing the magnitude or the damage done, we held on to each other as other neighbours came around with flashlights checking on one another.

I joined in the search and rescue party as we went from condo to condo making sure people were safe.

The entire population of Southern California was in darkness and fear. Some in shock, some crawling from beneath the wreckage of their houses and some already crushed to death beneath the roof and walls of what was once their refuge.

Nothing prepares us for a disaster like this. No matter how many films we see, or how much we do to prepare for this moment, you can't imagine it until it happens.

Without power, water, or gas we formed groups of neighbours to calm each other, share what we had, and give each other support. I grabbed my radio, which luckily enough had batteries, and we tuned in to listen.

My thoughts raced to my mum, Margaret Murphy, who lives in Bermuda and with whom I have just visited this Christmas along with my twin sister Sue Cubbon and family.

I raced inside, lighting a candle along the way, and miraculously got through to her and warned her of the situation. That was the last phone call I was able to make for two days.

Unable to check on my friends who were in Hollywood, I feared the worst.

The radio informed us that the epicentre was located in Northridge, approximately 10 miles from my home, and the magnitude was 6.6.

It was hard to believe that it wasn't bigger, as I had already been through the 7.3 in the desert.

This time, the earthquake was too close to home and the force was awesome.

No one went to sleep that night. We all huddled around the radio and ate what food we had. Everyone was told to stay home and not drive the broken and twisted freeways. We could only imagine the devastation through the conversation of the radio reporter.

It was later the next day, when power was restored, that we saw the vast amount of damage done to Southern California. We all gave a prayer of thanks for being spared more tragedy.

The aftershocks went all day, leaving nerves frayed and anxiety high. My niece Rebecca Roy and myself decided to stay outside for a good portion of the day.

We somehow felt safer without concrete walls around us.

At 3.34 p.m., while we were walking through the park, the 5.5 aftershock hit.

My dog, Paget, went hysterical, and all we could do was hold on to each other as the ground swelled and buckled beneath us.

We were both horrified and mesmerised by the dance of the trees and the movement of the ground. We watched as a large retaining wall swayed back and forth to the rhythm of the shock, waiting for it to collapse any minute.

The low rumbling was back. Everyone was frozen in their tracks, unable to move, yet feeling as though they were on some weird joy ride. Then ... it was over. Nothing moved. We looked at each other and burst into laughter in relief and shock. We were safe once again.

Southern California was in a state of chaos. People were raiding the supermarkets for water, food, batteries. Within hours, everything that was available was gone.

A curfew was put in place from dusk to dawn to avoid looting of the hundreds of homes, stores and offices that were either demolished or damaged by the violent shock waves that blanketed Los Angeles and surrounding areas.

That night, no one slept well. The continued aftershocks went through my condo, making me feel as though I was in some kind of strange nightmare. The shaking put me off balance and made me feel dizzy and disoriented.

We all suffered the fear of more collapses happening to weakened structures overnight. Many people slept outside, having barbecues and giving support as they watched fires rage through the night, everything they owned gone. A grim reminder of the devastating fires we suffered last year.

After the dust settled, the aftershocks continuing through the next night and day and probably for some time to come, I was finally able to call my friends in various parts of California.

I was saddened by the death of a friend who had a massive heart attack due to the earthquake and I found that my girlfriend had been rushed to the hospital with severe anxiety attacks. Her little daughter had barely missed death when a chest of drawers and TV crashed on her bed.

People had lost not only lives, but everything they held dear. Houses are condemned, businesses closed, emergency shelters set up throughout the city.

It has indeed been an experience I hope I will never have to repeat again.

The big one? Well ... I predict a mass exodus from Southern California in the months to come. It saddens me, because in spite of all the disasters we've experienced lately, Southern California is still a beautiful place to live.

Will I stay? I ... whoops ... as I write this line the shaking has started again.

Five minutes later, third day of earthquake.

We have just had another large aftershock of 5.1. This aftershock will carry its own aftershocks. The condo shook, the ground rolled, and I dashed to the doorway and prayed.

On TV, I see dust-covered cities and canyons and a rather nervous President Clinton who has arrived to assess our damaged state. To tell you the truth ... I'm shaking myself. My nerves are frayed and anxiety level high.

Is it worth it to live in Los Angeles? I guess you really have to love the area to continue to live here. Do I love it enough? Yes. Sorry mum.

Former Miss Bermuda Jill Murphy Donnellan shares her Los Angeles earthquake experience with The Royal Gazette . At left, she poses as Miss Bermuda 1980 for a photograph taken at a local beach. Mrs. Murphy Donnellan is now pursuing a career in acting, writing, and production in California.