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My wife Kristen and I were sound asleep that MLK Day morning of Jan. 17, 1994. Our condo building began shaking violently just after 4:30 a.m. Unlike previous quakes I’d experienced, this one felt like the building was being jolted vertically instead of side to side. That might have been due to our relatively close proximity to the 6.7 magnitude event.
By the numbers
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The Northridge earthquake's magnitude was ultimately measured at 6.7.
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The quake:
- Killed 58 people
- Injured more than 9,000
- Displaced 125,000 residents
- Damaged or destroyed more than 82,000 buildings in Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange and San Bernardino counties.
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The epicenter of the earthquake was determined to be near Wilbur Avenue and Arminta Street, about a mile from the Cal State Northridge campus.
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Was it a "Big One"?
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Not even close. The Big One will be at least 44 times stronger than Northridge.
I quickly awoke and told Kristen to run with me to our dining area table. Amidst the sound of crashing glassware and plates, we huddled under the table until the shaking stopped. Car alarms were sounding from our building’s garage and along the street. Everything was dark. Power was out.
I called KPCC, where I’d been working for more than a decade, to check on our studios at Pasadena City College, not having any idea of the quake’s epicenter. The overnight engineer told me he felt it, but our facilities were undamaged. I hit the road, uncertain about what damage there might be to surface streets and freeway overpasses. I was trying to shift my overactive adrenaline with positive thoughts about getting to the studios without road blockages or safety hazards.
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Soon after I arrived I went on the air to explain what we were learning. Caltech scientists, law enforcement agencies, and fire departments all provided vital details. We carried news conferences throughout the day and night. Hour-by-hour we learned the extent of damage. Structures destroyed at Cal State Northridge. The bottom floor of an apartment complex collapsed, killing residents in their beds. A Santa Monica freeway overpass down. There was large-scale damage up and down the streets of the San Fernando Valley, Hollywood, and Santa Monica.
What affected me most were the calls throughout the day from listeners traumatized by their experiences. Many were without electricity and struggling to reach loved ones. I can still hear the emotion in their voices. My hope was to provide some measure of comfort as we gradually learned together what hit us.
By the time I got home late that night I couldn’t even focus on the shattered items in the kitchen. I was so exhausted and overwhelmed by listener expressions of terror and distress that I could only fall into bed to sleep. Or so I expected. The activation of my fight or flight response many hours before made falling asleep challenging. My difficulty in getting to sleep would continue for months after the Northridge earthquake.
Over my 40-year career of covering news it’s the days of crisis and disaster that stand out strongest. Those are the times Angelenos come together in our mutual feelings of helplessness, fear, and uncertainty. Just being able to hear the voices of others experiencing the same thing is therapeutic. Finding ways of helping others cope with fear and loss gives a sense of purpose in times we feel overwhelmed. That’s one of the unique benefits of a program like the one I host. It provides that link to others when we need it most.
I describe AirTalk — the call-in radio show I hosted then and still do to this day — as Southern California’s biggest conversation. It’s during times like those, 30 years ago, when our service really becomes Southern California’s most necessary conversation. In the weeks following the Northridge quake, we continued providing a space for listeners to detail their rebuilding, healing, and resilience. It only worked because of listeners’ openness to sharing their personal experiences and trials with other Angelenos. That’s the real sense of community we’ve seen with each crisis we’ve faced.
As our audience turned to each other and looked to our station for support and information, we were able to be there connecting everyone. Despite the quake being one of the toughest tests our region has faced, we saw Southern California’s resiliency. Coming together with a sense of community is a powerful thing. We saw that clearly 1/17/94 and after.
Earthquake prep resources
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We don't want to scare you, but the Big One is coming. We don't know when, but we know it'll be at least 44 times stronger than Northridge and 11 times stronger than the Ridgecrest quakes in 2019. To help you get prepared, we've compiled a handy reading list
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- Your Guide To Surviving The Big One
- For Earthquakes, Forget The 'Go-Bag.' Here's How To Prepare
- How To Not Get Life-Threatening Diarrhea After A Major Earthquake
- 10 Earthquake-Related Questions To Ask Your Landlord Immediately
- How To Prepare For An Earthquake If You Have A Disability
- Listen to our Podcast The Big One: Your Survival Guide
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Photos: Aftermath of a 6.7 magnitude quake
A resident and a cameraman look at damage to the Kaiser Permanente Building following the Northridge earthquake on Jan. 17, 1994.
(
Hal Garb
/
AFP/Getty Images
)
Firefighters cross a street as a broken 16-inch gas main burns in the background, after the Jan. 17, 1994 quake.
(
Hal Garb
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
Devastation and chaos
Two men inspect damage to cars and an apartment complex after the earthquake.
(
Timothy A. Clary
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
Firemen carry a janitorial worker who was rescued from a collapsed garage at the Northridge Mall.
(
Denis Poroy
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
Cars lie smashed by the collapsed Interstate 5 connector in Sylmar on Jan. 17, 1994.
(
Jonathan Nourok
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
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Aykui Alaverdyan walks over rubble after taking some of her belongings from her Hollywood Boulevard apartment building that was destroyed in the earthquake.
(
Tim Clary
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
Rubble is all that's left of a parking structure following the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
(
Courtesy USGS archive
)
A fire breaks out after the earthquake.
(
Courtesy USGS archives
)
So-called soft-story structured, with elevated first floors over open space for cars, fared poorly in the 1994 earthquake.
(
Courtesy USGS archive
)
Damage documented by federal officials.
(
Courtesy USGS archive
)
The scene at Cal State Northridge
A collapsed parking structure in the wake of the Northridge quake.
(
Courtesy USGS archive
)
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The destruction on CSUN's campus was extensive and dramatic. A large parking structure collapsed onto itself, its giant columns bent backward by the force of the quake. A fire broke out in a science building. The university's Oviatt Library sustained damage and most of its books were dumped onto the floor. A second library building was so decimated it had to be demolished.
Staff and faculty worked out of tents that became their temporary offices and information center. Despite the quake, the spring 1994 semester started just two weeks later than originally scheduled. The temblor caused more than $400 million in damage and the reconstruction wasn't officially completed until August 2007.
— Ryan Fonseca
Dormitory staircases at Cal State Northridge damaged by the earthquake.
(
Courtesy CSUN University Archives
)
CSUN's Science 4 building (now Magnolia Hall) suffered structural and cosmetic damage in the earthquake.
(
Courtesy CSUN University Archives
)
State of emergency
Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan officially declared a state of emergency about an hour after the quake. That was followed by California Gov. Pete Wilson also declaring one, making it easier for the area to get state resources.
That afternoon, President Bill Clinton declared a national disaster for Los Angeles County, helping to direct federal resources to the region.
Within 5 ½ hours of the initial quake, authorities were able to get all active fires under control, helping to prevent further damage.
Multiple highways had to be closed due to the damage and surface streets were used as detours. Thousands of residents were without water and electricity as rescue crews began searching the rubble for survivors.
— Ryan Fonseca
A badly damaged apartment.
(
Courtesy USGS archive
)
A damaged freeway.
(
Courtesy USGS archive
)
A badly damaged building.
(
Courtesy USGS archive
)
Post-quake damage.
(
Courtesy USGS archive
)
A rescue worker sits in front of the heavily-damaged Northridge Meadows Apartments after a 14th body was removed following the earthquake.
(
Chris Wilkins
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
A family sits beside the street in front of their destroyed home near the epicenter of the earthquake.
(
Denis Poroy
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
Evan Smith hugs his dog Samantha as his sister Emily plays solitaire to pass the time in their front yard encampment in Granada Hills. The family's home was heavily damaged in the earthquake and they lived in the front yard until power and water was restored.
(
Chris Wilkins
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
Juadulupe Flores and her 4-year-old daughter Yijan share breakfast on Jan. 18, 1994 after having camped in Dearborn Park overnight. Thousands of people slept outside, fearing powerful aftershocks following the previous day's temblor.
(
Tim Clary
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
Recovery
The California National Guard was deployed to assist help with recovery efforts and maintain order. Tent cities went up at parks and other open spaces for thousands of displaced Angelenos.
Many people refuse to return to their homes, fearing another earthquake. Some slept on their lawns or in their cars. The quake broke water pipes across the region, and officials told people to boil drinking water. Residents kept bottles and jugs to fill up when water trucks rolled in.
— Ryan Fonseca
A mother and her children walk near a tent city at Winnetka Recreation Center on Jan. 22, 1994 as California National Guard set up the shelters for the thousands of Angelenos made homeless by the quake.
(
Tim Clary
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
National Guard troops play soccer with children at a campground at Lanark Park. The National Guard erected tent cities to house thousands of earthquake refugees living in the area parks amid the threat of rain.
(
Tim Clary
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
People left homeless by the Northridge earthquake line up in Canoga Park to make phone calls at a remote telephone facility.
(
Mike Nelson
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
Families camp out in a city park after their homes were heavily damaged by the earthquake.
(
Jonathan Nourok
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
Residents fill water containers from a tanker truck at Granada Hills High School the day after the earthquake.
(
Chris Wilkins
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
Presidential visit
President Clinton visited Los Angeles two days after the quake touring damaged roadways and surveying the urban destruction.
"This is a national problem. We have a national responsibility," Clinton told local officials in a hangar at Burbank Airport, according to the L.A. Times. "This is something we intend to stay with until the job is over."
— Ryan Fonseca
President Bill Clinton waves to residents on Jan. 19, 1994 during a tour of earthquake-stricken areas.
(
Paul J. Richards
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
Parishioners gather in a parking structure near St. Augustine's Episcopal Church in Santa Monica for Sunday services on Jan. 23, 1994. The church was determined to be unsafe after the earthquake.
(
Tim Clary
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
The $20 billion cost
Along with the dozens killed and thousands hurt, the quake caused $20 billion in damage. This video posted by Caltrans shows the scope of the destruction to the region's freeway system and all the work put in to repair the roadways.
Though the region has made strides in retrofitting and the city recently launched a quake alert app, the Big One is still coming — and it'll be at least 44 times stronger than Northridge.
To learn more and find out how to prepare your home, your family and yourself, read our survival guide here.
A bulldozer tearing down a section of the Santa Monica Freeway that collapsed during the earthquake.
(
Tim Clary
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
Heavy equipment prepares for moving portions of Interstate 5 as an abandoned truck rests on the damaged structure on Jan. 18, 1994.
(
Tim Clary
/
AFP via Getty Images
)
Aftermath of the quake on a California road.
(
USGS
)
Get ready for The Big One
Still need motivation to get ready? Listen to our award-winning podcast to prep your own survival guide.
Listen
• 31:11
Listen
• 31:11
You’re at Union Station when the big one hits. The next two minutes are terrifying. By the time you make your way outside, the Los Angeles you know is gone. In Episode One, you experience what the first hours after a massive earthquake could be like.
Updated January 18, 2022 at 9:35 AM PST
This story was originally published in 2019 on the 25th anniversary of the Northridge earthquake.
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LAist
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