17 years ago today....
(These are just a few of the pictures from the damage that was caused that day.)
The Northridge earthquake occurred on January 17, 1994 at 4:31 AM Pacific Standard Time in Reseda, a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, lasting for about 45 seconds.
(the epicenter was only a few short miles from where I lived growing up)
(the epicenter was only a few short miles from where I lived growing up)
This was a holiday Monday - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The earthquake had a "strong" moment magnitude of 6.7, but the ground acceleration was one of the highest ever instrumentally recorded in an urban area in North America.Seventy-two deaths were attributed to the earthquake, with over 9,000 injured. In addition, the earthquake caused an estimated $20 billion in damage, making it one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history.
We lived in a 2 story house. FYI The jolted is felt MUCH stronger on the 2nd story. I remember waking up and seeing flashes of blue in the sky. Come to find out it was the transformers blowing. Crashing and banging and of course SCREAMS! I think that is the 1st time we came together as a neighborhood. As soon as the jolts stopped we all made our way outside. All of us kids were afraid to go back inside. There were a lot of aftershocks. Even some pretty good jolts.
When it was light enough to see inside, we went in to survey the "damage" There was A LOT! We will never know how we did NOT cut our feet with all the broken glass on the ground. My mom lost lots of her precious moments and such in her 2 hutches. We truly were blessed that day that is for sure. My oldest sister, Jana (who was pregnant) and her husband were living with us. She started having contractions due to the earthquake, but all was well and the baby held out til March 4th.
I even remember that my marine came to check on me and my family when it got light enough outside. (yes we have been together THAT LONG... actually longer) He said he wasn't afraid. The only reason he woke up is all his sisters and his daughter were screaming!
For the next week or so we were wall to wall slumber party every night in the livingroom to sleep. All of us kids were so afraid to even go upstairs. We always had our "buddy" with us Just in Case. We slept with shoes on and had flashlights right next to us. It was even hard for my siblings to go back to school. (I graduated in '92 and was going to Moorpark College) But they were at least able to put all those earthquake drills to use.
When it was light enough to see inside, we went in to survey the "damage" There was A LOT! We will never know how we did NOT cut our feet with all the broken glass on the ground. My mom lost lots of her precious moments and such in her 2 hutches. We truly were blessed that day that is for sure. My oldest sister, Jana (who was pregnant) and her husband were living with us. She started having contractions due to the earthquake, but all was well and the baby held out til March 4th.
I even remember that my marine came to check on me and my family when it got light enough outside. (yes we have been together THAT LONG... actually longer) He said he wasn't afraid. The only reason he woke up is all his sisters and his daughter were screaming!
For the next week or so we were wall to wall slumber party every night in the livingroom to sleep. All of us kids were so afraid to even go upstairs. We always had our "buddy" with us Just in Case. We slept with shoes on and had flashlights right next to us. It was even hard for my siblings to go back to school. (I graduated in '92 and was going to Moorpark College) But they were at least able to put all those earthquake drills to use.
This is one of the biggest reasons I "Prepare for the worst" now. We have our 72 hour kits..... working on our year supply. This truly was a day I will NEVER forget!
I remember that day too. I lived in GH and I got stuck in my room cuz my dresser fell in front of the door. I was so freaked out I just kept trying to bang the door open enough to move the door so I could squeeze thru. My parents had an old school headboard with the mirror on it and it fell on them and my baby brother (at the time) but luckily it didn't break. Talk about a scary day!
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