The devastating 7.9 magnitude quake hit the mountainous Sichuan Province on Monday afternoon, flattening villages and burying thousands of victims under collapsed buildings. At least 12,000 people have died.

When it happened, Johnny Dallas was in the middle of a work meeting in the city of Chengdu, the capital of the province. He was forced to flee for cover under a table with a colleague.

"It seemed to go on for a long time, for about two and a half minutes," Mr. Dallas told the 'Journal' from his home.

"It's hard to explain, but it was scary enough," he said.

At the time, his wife Kim was at home with their son Angus, while his daughter Gemma was at school.

The Intel production manager, who has been in China for the last two and a half years, couldn't reach his family for a few hours, which he described as a "nervous, worrying time."

Nonetheless, the "surreal" event left Mr. Dallas and his family terrified of aftershocks, but otherwise unharmed.

The family chose to sleep outside in a tent since the quake, fearing further aftershocks.

Wednesday night was the first time since the quake that the family had returned to their home, sleeping on the ground floor. Their home suffered a little damage, including the television and shelving falling - but was otherwise structurally fine.

Mr. Dallas says he and other ex-pats living in the area are rallying together to send aid to the worst hit areas.