Northridge Earthquake 15 year Anniversary

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:

• Water Heater Safety
• Gas Shut Off
• USGS Earthquake Preparredness
• Govenor’s Office of Emergency Services
• Simi Valley C.E.R.T. program