preparedness

Northridge Earthquake 15 year Anniversary

Yesterday was the anniversary of the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. I was living in my second floor Simi Valley Sinaloa Villa Condominium when my wife and I were shaken beyond anything we had felt in our lives as native residents of southern California. My kitchen cabinets and refrigerator were emptied on the floor, a broken lamp, toppled furniture and rattled nerves were just about enough for us as we had two small children at the time. The TV in our Master Bedroom hit my newborn son’s bed frame.

At my parent’s house in Woodland Hills things were much more serious. They lost their entire chimney and the weight of the two story chimney that was strapped to the side of the house acted as a counter weight and that weight exacerbated the shaking and damage on their home. When the chimney gave way, it landed on my brother’s bed; he had moved moments before, saving his own life. The chimney ruptures a natural gas line and even thought he was trapped behind the rubble if the chimney and roof, he managed to get out and shut off the gas.

Many stories of similar situations were told over the following weeks. What is very interesting about this event is that 15 years later I am still seeing evidence of this event when I show homes for sale. I have been working with several clients that are new to the area and were not here for the shaker. When they have questions about earthquakes, I can take them out to the street of any home in the west San Fernando Valley and Simi Valley and point out replaced chimney’s that dot almost every tract. Additionally there are many homes that still show evidence inside. Yesterday was especially interesting in that a home I was showing in Simi Valley’s Texas Tract had many un-repaired cracks around most of the doorways and windows which is typical in a major shaker like the 1994 Northridge Event. These reminders on this 15 year anniversary should be a wake up call for us not to forget and become complacent regarding earthquake safety.

For earthquake safety see:

Simi Valley Earthquake Preparedness – Emergency Gas Shutoff

Simi Valley Earthquake Preparedness

Emergency Gas Shutoff

Emergency Gas Shut Off Diagram

In the event there is an earthquake do not shut off your gas unless you have a leak. The reason for this is that if you any non electronic pilot light you will need to know how to relight any that exist. It might be a long time before the gas company can come to your home to turn your service back on and reset your appliances. You may need to boil water for several days after a major event and again if you do not detect any leaks in your gas system after an earthquake, you may need the gas more than you realize.

Additionally if your water heater falls over and causes a break at the gas connection there usually is a gas shut off at the wall where the water heater gas line connects, you can shut off the gas there if that is the only place you have a leak and this way you will be able to use your stove and furnace. To prevent your Water heater from falling over in an earthquake make sure it is properly strapped. I will post a diagram for proper water heater bracing soon.