The 4:31 a.m. jolt hit Los Angeles from 11 miles deep, shaking the city from its slumber with a temblor that would kill 57 people, injure 9,000, topple freeways, ignite fires, set off landslides and inflict $24 to $93 billion in damage to homes, businesses, utilities, roads and even parks.
The Jan. 17, 1994 Northridge earthquake is the most costly quake in U.S. history.
The 6.7-magnitude earthquake lasted for 10 to 20 horrifying seconds as the Southland shuddered amidst widespread urban collapse and chaos.
The quake was so powerful that residents of San Diego, Las Vegas and Ensenada felt it. Famously, then-Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan was thrown from his bed on the Westside by the quake, jumped into his car to rush to City Hall, and nearly drove off the 10 Freeway into the air — because the 10 had been severed by the quake.
In the weeks and months after the Northridge quake, engineers discovered that steel frame buildings throughout the region, using an approach since the 1960s called “moment frames,” were not quake-proof as believed. The most famous of these structures was the quake-damaged Getty Center, then still under construction.
The Northridge quake was one of the most destructive in U.S. history. The most devastating was the severe 1906 San Francisco earthquake and resulting “firestorm from hell” which killed more than 3,000 people.
It took years to rebuild from the Northridge quake, the nation’s first to strike from directly beneath a metropolitan area since the devastating 1933 Long Beach quake that killed 120 and destroyed or badly damaged hundreds of unreinforced brick and other buildings in Southern California, including 230 school buildings.
Today, the region tries to get its residents ready for the next inevitable Big One, in part by urging residents to participate in the annual ShakeOut.
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Los Angeles city limit sign on the 5 Freeway. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 the morning of Jan. 17, 1994, a powerful jolt that flattened buildings, destroyed homes, damaged freeways, ignited fires and disrupted water and power. The 6.7-magnitude Northridge Earthquake also killed nearly three dozen people, injured 8,700 more, caused some $20 billion in damage and shattered the nerves of millions of Southern California residents. “It was like the devil was waking up … it was a horrifying feeling,” said one of the quake victims quoted in a Daily News story on Jan. 18.
Photo By Hans Gutnecht/Daily News -
Robin Purcell makes his way to his daughter’s apartment on Plummer St in Northridge to recover some of her possessions. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 the morning of Jan. 17, 1994, a powerful jolt that flattened buildings, destroyed homes, damaged freeways, ignited fires and disrupted water and power. The 6.7-magnitude Northridge Earthquake also killed nearly three dozen people, injured 8,700 more, caused some $20 billion in damage and shattered the nerves of millions of Southern California residents. “It was like the devil was waking up … it was a horrifying feeling,” said one of the quake victims quoted in a Daily News story on Jan. 18.
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An auto traveling on the 118 freeway got caught when the freeway collapsed at Gothic Avenue. Los Angeles Daily News file photo
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Officer Joshua Wong monitors the area around a collapsed section of the Santa Monica Freeway near Fairfax Ave. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 the morning of Jan. 17, 1994, a powerful jolt that flattened buildings, destroyed homes, damaged freeways, ignited fires and disrupted water and power. The 6.7-magnitude Northridge Earthquake also killed nearly three dozen people, injured 8,700 more, caused some $20 billion in damage and shattered the nerves of millions of Southern California residents. “It was like the devil was waking up … it was a horrifying feeling,” said one of the quake victims quoted in a Daily News story on Jan. 18.
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A masonry building at the intersection of Ventura and Van Nuys boulevards in Sherman Oaks took a beating from the quake. (Los Angeles Daily News file photo)
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Firefighters work to free trapped residents at the Northridge Meadows Apartments on Reseda Blvd in Northridge CA. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 the morning of Jan. 17, 1994, a powerful jolt that flattened buildings, destroyed homes, damaged freeways, ignited fires and disrupted water and power. The 6.7-magnitude Northridge Earthquake also killed nearly three dozen people, injured 8,700 more, caused some $20 billion in damage and shattered the nerves of millions of Southern California residents. “It was like the devil was waking up … it was a horrifying feeling,” said one of the quake victims quoted in a Daily News story on Jan. 18. (Daily News File Photo)
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A couple leaves an outdoor emergency facility at Granada Hills Community Hospital after receiving treatment on the morning of the quake. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 the morning of Jan. 17, 1994, a powerful jolt that flattened buildings, destroyed homes, damaged freeways, ignited fires and disrupted water and power. The 6.7-magnitude Northridge Earthquake also killed nearly three dozen people, injured 8,700 more, caused some $20 billion in damage and shattered the nerves of millions of Southern California residents. “It was like the devil was waking up … it was a horrifying feeling,” said one of the quake victims quoted in a Daily News story on Jan. 18.
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The city of Fillmore in Ventura County was hit hard by the quake. Among the damaged buildings was the Fillmore Hotel. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 the morning of Jan. 17, 1994, a powerful jolt that flattened buildings, destroyed homes, damaged freeways, ignited fires and disrupted water and power. The 6.7-magnitude Northridge Earthquake also killed nearly three dozen people, injured 8,700 more, caused some $20 billion in damage and shattered the nerves of millions of Southern California residents. “It was like the devil was waking up … it was a horrifying feeling,” said one of the quake victims quoted in a Daily News story on Jan. 18.
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Nannette Stone is held by her son, David, as a neighbor’s mobile home burns at the Tahitian mobile home park on Cobalt Street in Sylmar. Los Angeles Daily News file photo
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The Northridge Fashion Center became one of the symbols of the quake’s destructiveness. Damage to the mall, built in the early ’70s, was estimated at $131 million. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 the morning of Jan. 17, 1994, a powerful jolt that flattened buildings, destroyed homes, damaged freeways, ignited fires and disrupted water and power. The 6.7-magnitude Northridge Earthquake also killed nearly three dozen people, injured 8,700 more, caused some $20 billion in damage and shattered the nerves of millions of Southern California residents. “It was like the devil was waking up … it was a horrifying feeling,” said one of the quake victims quoted in a Daily News story on Jan. 18.
Photo by John McCoy/Daily News -
Belen Navarro, 9, front, leads her sisters and cousins in prayer before eating their lunches at a tent city. Michael Owen Baker/Los Angeles Daily News
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A woman leads two children through a maze of tents set up by the National Guard for displaced quake victims at Lanark Park. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 the morning of Jan. 17, 1994, a powerful jolt that flattened buildings, destroyed homes, damaged freeways, ignited fires and disrupted water and power. The 6.7-magnitude Northridge Earthquake also killed nearly three dozen people, injured 8,700 more, caused some $20 billion in damage and shattered the nerves of millions of Southern California residents. “It was like the devil was waking up … it was a horrifying feeling,” said one of the quake victims quoted in a Daily News story on Jan. 18.
Photo by Michael Owen Baker/Daily News -
Wrapped in blankets, residents view damage to an apartment building in Sherman Oaks. (Los Angeles Daily News file photo)
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A man is rescued at the Northridge Fashion Center. 1994 Northridge Earthquake: The 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck on January 17, 1994 at 4:31 a.m. (Los Angeles Daily News file photo)
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Rolling stock is strewn about the Southern Pacific tracks after the quake caused this derailment in Northridge. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. (Los Angeles Daily News file photo)
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Rene Valenzuela carries an armload of clothes out of the condemned Mountain Terrace apartments on Walnut Street in Newhall. Rene Valenzuela carries an armload of clothes out of the condemned Mountain Terrace apartments on Walnut Street in Newhall. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. (Los Angeles Daily News file photo)
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Senior citizens from three different convalescent homes in the Santa Clarita Valley were housed in the Boys and Girls Club gym in Newhall. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. (Los Angeles Daily News file photo)
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The scene near Balboa Blvd. and Rinaldi Street as the sun rose on the morning of Jan. 17, 1994. Flames from a broken gas line destroyed surrounding homes as water from a ruptured water main flowed down the street. Rescuers search for victims of the quake in Studio City. The death toll would climb in the hours and days after the quake as bodies were discovered in the rubble. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. (Los Angeles Daily News file photo)
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Rescuers search for victims of the quake in Studio City. The death toll would climb in the hours and days after the quake as bodies were discovered in the rubble. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. (Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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Latanya Davis, left, and Stefanie Coston, students at CSUN, bundle up on a lawn in front of their dormitory as dawn breaks on Jan. 17. (Los Angeles Daily News file photo)
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The quake toppled the steeple at Trinity Church in San Fernando. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. (Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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Terrence Bito douses his car with water as flames approach on Balboa Boulevard. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. (Los Angeles Daily News file photo)
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Students from California State University Northridge, watch as flames from a ruptured gas main burn near Balboa Boulevard and Rinaldi Street in Granada Hills. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. (Los Angeles Daily News file photo)
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Police kept watch over damaged structures such as the Wherehouse in Northridge, to prevent looting. The quake toppled the steeple at Trinity Church in San Fernando. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. (Michael Owen Baker, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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The Kaiser Permanente medical offices in Granada Hills were destroyed. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. (Photo by Michael Owen Baker, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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A gas line burns on Balboa Blvd. in Granada Hills. 1994 Northridge Earthquake: The 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck on January 17, 1994 at 4:31 a.m. (Los Angeles Daily News file photo)
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Emergency workers remove a survivor from the first floor of Northridge Meadows. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. (Los Angeles Daily News file photo)
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First aid is provided at the Kaiser Permanente parking lot on Balboa Boulevard. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. (Los Angeles Daily News file photo)
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A man walks through a living room in Northridge. 1994 Northridge Earthquake: The 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck on January 17, 1994 at 4:31 a.m. (Los Angeles Daily News file photo)
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Their water service cut off, Granada Hills residents fill containers from a water company truck at Granada Hills High School. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. (Photo by John McCoy, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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Part of a hillside home overlooking Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades was lost in a landslide caused by the earthquake. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. (Los Angeles Daily News file photo)
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Residents of a damaged apartment building warm their hands over a fire at North Hollywood Park. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. (John McCoy, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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Workers mop up oil that spilled into the Santa Clara River near The Old Road on Jan. 20, 1994. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. (David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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Commuters cram the platform at the Metrolink station in Santa Clarita. Ridership on the rail-transit line rose sharply after the quake. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. (David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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Customers wait outside the Hughes Market in Valencia for a chance to buy water and food. At many stores, the wait in line lasted for hours. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. (David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News /SCNG)
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The intersection of the Golden State and the Antelope Valley freeways in Newhall Pass. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. (Los Angeles Daily News file photo)
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Quake victims line up for food and supplies at Lanark Park as guardsmen stand by. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. (John McCoy, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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Frustrated commuters limped along Sierra Hwy. near San Fernando Rd. on Jan. 19, 1994, as they try to bypass damaged freeways following the Northridge earthquake. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. (David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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A home on Sunswept Drive in Studio City was flattened after the quake sent it plunging down the hillside. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. (Los Angeles Daily News file photo)
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Traffic snakes along Sierra Highway in Canyon Country early on the moring of Jan. 21 as commuters try to get through Newhall Pass. Truck driver Ervin Nichols of Bend, Oregon, waits as his truck is lowered from the shattered Golden State Freeway in Saugus two days after the quake. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. (Los Angeles Daily News file photo)
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A friend retrieves belongings for the owner of a hillside home on Buena Park Drive in Studio City. The home was destroyed. (Los Angeles Daily News file photo)
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Truck driver Ervin Nichols of Bend, Oregon, waits as his truck is lowered from the shattered Golden State Freeway in Saugus two days after the quake. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. (David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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Motorists line up for gas at an Arco station at Sherman Way and Balboa Boulevard in Reseda. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. (Los Angeles Daily News file photo)
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A woman sits outside as she listens to reports about aftershocks. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. (Los Angeles Daily News file photo)
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Theresa Wright tries to make order out of the chaos in the kitchen of her Granada Hills home. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994.
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Steve Langdon hugs roommate Gerard Prezioso on Jan. 30, 1994. The two shared Apartment 105 in the temblor-devastated Northridge Meadows complex. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. (Photo by Gene Blevins, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
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National Guardsman Abraham Lucero plays soccer with a child at a tent city in Reseda Park. 1/23/94. (Los Angeles Daily News file photo)
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Marie Thomas hawks T-shirts on the corner of Balboa Boulevard and Devonshire Street. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. (Los Angeles Daily News file photo)
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The wreckage of a truck driven by Jimmy Menzi rests in the middle of Balboa Blvd. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 a.m. on Jan. 17, 1994. (Los Angeles Daily News file photo)
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The Daily News newsroom in Woodland Hills on the morning of Jan. 17, 1994. (Los Angeles Daily News file photo)
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Firemen put out a trailer home that burned in Sylmar, CA. 1/17/1994, photo by (John McCoy/Los Angeles Daily News)
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A child stands in his grandmother’s makeshift campsite at Lanark Park. Nearly 18,000 people camped out at local parks in the days following the quake. Concerned about health problems, officials worked to divert campers to Red Cross shelters and specially designated parks where services were concentrated. CA. 1/17/1994, photo by (John McCoy/Los Angeles Daily News)
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A car sits crushed under a Reseda apartment building. Reseda, CA. 1/17/1994, photo by (John McCoy/Los Angeles Daily News)
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People reach for donated food at Lanark Park in Canoga Park, CA. 1/17/1994, photo by (John McCoy/Los Angeles Daily News)
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A woman and her daughter rush from the flames that erupted in the Tahitian Mobile Home Park. Raging fires spawned by the quake raced through three Sylmar mobile home parks, destroying more than 100 homes. Sylmar, CA. 1/17/1994, photo by (John McCoy/Los Angeles Daily News)
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Firefighters work to free trapped residents at the Northridge Meadows Apartments on Reseda Blvd in Northridge CA. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 the morning of Jan. 17, 1994, a powerful jolt that flattened buildings, destroyed homes, damaged freeways, ignited fires and disrupted water and power. The 6.7-magnitude Northridge Earthquake also killed nearly three dozen people, injured 8,700 more, caused some $20 billion in damage and shattered the nerves of millions of Southern California residents. “It was like the devil was waking up … it was a horrifying feeling,” said one of the quake victims quoted in a Daily News story on Jan. 18. (Daily News File Photo)
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Firefighters look over the rubble that was at one time the Northridge Meadows three-story apartment complex. The apartments were home to more than 400 people, sixteen were killed as the first floor collapsed in the violent shaking. The death toll at the complex was more than 25 percent of the total fatalities of the entire quake. Northridge, CA. 1/17/1994, photo by (John McCoy/Los Angeles Daily News)
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Children bathe in a milk crate at Lanark Park. Canoga Park, CA. 1/17/1994, photo by (John McCoy/Los Angeles Daily News)
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LAPD officer Roger Ruggiero climbs to the top of the Antelope Valley Freeway transition to the Southbound Golden State Freeway where motor officer Clarence Wayne Dean died. Dean, who, while reporting to work in the darkness after the 4:31 AM quake, fell from the partially collapsed bridge when he was unable to stop in time. The Northridge Earthquake registered 6.6 on the richter scale. Sylmar, CA. 1/17/1994, photo by (John McCoy/Los Angeles Daily News)
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Jon Vender looks for valuables that might have survived the inferno that destroyed his mother-in-law’s trailer home in Sylmar, CA. 1/17/1994, photo by (John McCoy/Los Angeles Daily News)
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A Fire Department chaplain informs a couple that their son has died in the collapse of the Northridge Meadows apartments. The Northridge Earthquake, that at the time was reported to register 6.6 on the richter scale. Greater Northridge, CA. 1/17/1994, photo by (John McCoy/Los Angeles Daily News)
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A woman looks through the rubble of there burned trailer house in Sylmar, CA. 1/18/1994, photo by (John McCoy/Los Angeles Daily News)
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A firefighter pulls a hose through the Tahitian Mobile Park in Sylmar, CA. 1/17/1994, photo by (John McCoy/Los Angeles Daily News)
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A car fell off of a hydraulic lift in a repair shop in Northridge, CA. 1/17/1994, photo by (John McCoy/Los Angeles Daily News)
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Page one of the Los Angeles Daily News on January 18, 1994. The Northridge quake hit at 4:31 the morning of Jan. 17, 1994, a powerful jolt that flattened buildings, destroyed homes, damaged freeways, ignited fires and disrupted water and power. The 6.7-magnitude Northridge Earthquake also killed nearly three dozen people, injured 8,700 more, caused some $20 billion in damage and shattered the nerves of millions of Southern California residents. “It was like the devil was waking up … it was a horrifying feeling,” said one of the quake victims quoted in a Daily News story on Jan. 18.
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Former tenants Joan DeWolf and Gary Benoit carry suitcases to salvage possessions from the Northridge Meadows Apartments. July 15, 1994. (Los Angeles Daily News file photo)