At 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994, a 6.7 earthquake hit Los Angeles, causing 57 deaths, more than 5,000 injuries, and $20 billion in property damage. Twenty years later, those who were here then reflect on one of the biggest natural disasters in L.A. history.
Justine Zwiebel for BuzzFeed/ AFP / Getty Images
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Northridge earthquake, we asked friends and colleagues to share stories and memories from the early morning of Jan. 17, 1994 — and the aftermath.
I was only 5 when the earthquake hit and I managed to stay asleep until the tail end of it when books started falling to the floor. I'm sure there was some panic among my family, but all I remember is feeling very dutiful, finding my cats and making sure my American Girl doll, Samantha, had a comfortable seat on the chair in my room. Of course this meant I had to sit on the floor but she was obviously very scared and needed the comfort of the best seat in the house. Adding to my sense of duty, my radio was the only one that worked since it was for a child and battery operated. We gathered around the red and blue plastic box and listened for any news as I quieted down the still hysterical Samantha.
—Chelsea Marshall
I was 8 and asleep in my parents' bed when the earthquake hit. I knew what was happening but didn't know earthquakes were a deadly thing; mortality was a bit too much for me at that age. After it ended, I remember my parents getting out their radio and turning it on for emergency information. Once aftershocks subsided my dad grabbed a flashlight and walked around to check on neighbors. We are Portland natives so my parents were familiar with having to boil water and live without power.
I lived in Encino, a few miles from the epicenter, but my school was in Northridge. I was out of school for a week as they waited for a building inspector to come clear the school. Driving around I remember the California State University, Northridge (CSUN) parking structure wall that just pancaked in and seeing red, yellow, and green tags on buildings everywhere. My house had minimal damage, a small crack and lots of broken bottles and glass. People were selling commemorative T-shirts saying things like "I Survived the 6.9 Quake" on street corners, which in retrospect seems tacky as people did die.
—Sam Schreiber
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