Hello Joan!!
I wrote a recollection for WNP about this momentous day...
http://www.outsidelands.org/1957-quake.phpThere is also an internal reference to Carl Nolte's SFGate article, which you can check out.
Below your initial post are other related WNP posts you can link to as well...
Hope this helps. (Also, I remember Ransohoff's!! My Mom used to shop there!)
Did you live and go to school in the Western Neighborhoods?