Title: 1994 Northridge Earthquake

Date: Thursday January 17, 2013
Time: 5:00 am - 5:00 am
Location: S. CA
Notes: At 4:31 A.M. in 1994 the Mw 6.7 earthquake struck the San Fernando Valley. The quake occurred on the Northridge, also known as the Pico, blind thrust fault. Several other faults experienced minor rupture.
The Northridge Earthquake, although epicentered in the city of Reseda, produced the largest ground motions ever recorded in an urban environment and caused the greatest damage in the United States since the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Peak acceleration and velocity values were among the largest ever recorded in any earthquake. Thousands of aftershocks occurred, many in the 4.0 to 5.0 range, during the next few weeks and months. More than 40 people were killed in the quake; a total of 61 deaths were attributed to direct and indirect causes. More than 8,700 were injured including 1,600 that required hospitalization. The greatest singular loss of life occurred at the Northridge Meadows apartment complex, in which 16 people were killed as a result of the buildings collapse. 11 hospitals in the area received structural damage, rendering them either unusable or where less severe, their ability to treat the injured, limited. The quake caused extensive damage to the freeway system as far as 25 miles from the epicenter. Most notable was the Newhall Pass interchange, where the I-5, State routes 14 and 118 collapsed. In addition, I-10, the Santa Monica Freeway, was severely damaged. Collapses and other damage forced closure of portions of 11 major roads.
Numerous fires were caused by broken gas pipes due to houses shifting off foundations or unsecured water heaters. In several areas, underground gas and water mains broke, resulting in some streets experiencing simultaneous fires and floods.
A few days after the quake, 9,000 homes and businesses were still without electricity; 20,000 were without gas; and more than 48,500 had little or no water. About 12,500 structures were moderately to severely damaged, leaving thousands temporarily homeless.