Hi All,
We live in Woodland Hills and were near the epicenter of Northridge. It woke us up with the initial jolt. We were flipped 180 degrees in our bed. We watched as the ceiling got closer a number of times as we bounced up and down some 4 or 5 feet. The noise was deafing as the glassware and kitchen items smashed on the floor and the house creaked and groaned. The silence following the quake was also deafening. I had to find the house keys, go out the back door and come in the front door to get to my daughter in her room. All other ways were blocked with broken glass and overturned furniture. She was angry at being awakened so early in the morning! The first big aftershock jarred her awake and she realized what had happened. Once outside, I was struck by the very clear and DARK starlit sky. Then the noise of car alarms and sirens became evident. There were 5 or 6 fires going in the surrounding area.

We had no water or power for 24 hours. Water pressure was low for days as fire engines were supplying the pressure in some areas. The aftershock would often be preceded by lights over the Simi Hills. We almost became accustomed to the aftershocks and would hardly stop what we were doing. The aftershocks did a lot of damage to things the initial shock began. We lost our brick chimney at the roofline as did many others in the area. Some of the actual fire boxes exploded inside of the homes showering the inside with flying bricks. In some cases the bricks blew out walls.

For the first 24 hours we were on our own with little information as to the extent of the damage to LA. Some stores got extra water and food items in quickly and DID NOT charge extra. Some raised the price to what the market would bear.

I still have a doorway that did not go back to being plumb. Outside we had several big pots of plants which rotated 180 degrees. We knew this as one had a branch which we saw had spun around and was pointing in the opposite direction. We learned quickly if we were prepared. We cooked outside for a week and turned the gas off every day for a month when we left the house.

My wife and I were elementary teachers at the time and that is another story!
Bob in Woodland Hills