The Northridge quake: Mapping the destruction

On Jan. 17, 1994, at 4:31 a.m. a blind reverse-thrust fault ruptured 9 miles beneath the Los Angeles neighborhood of Northridge. In less than 20 seconds, the 6.7-magnitude quake damaged more than 40,000 structures, resulting in $20 billion in damage and more than $40 billion in economic loss, making it the costliest earthquake disaster in U.S. history.

How the day unfolded

4:31 a.m.: A 6.7-magnitude earthquake strikes in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles.

4:40 a.m.: Fires, flooding, and collapsed buildings are reported across Southern California. In Los Angeles, portions of the 5, 14, 10 freeways have collapsed.

4:50 a.m.: There are massive power outages and the loss of phone service reported across Los Angeles.

5:20 a.m.: Gas explosions and multiple fires are reported on Cal State Northridge University campus.

5:40 a.m.: The Federal Emergency Management Agency announces it will respond to the earthquake.

5:45 a.m.: Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan declares a state of emergency.

6:00 a.m.: All flights out of LAX airport are cancelled.

6:50 a.m.: Approximately 50 structures are reported on fire, while hundreds of gas and water mains are reported broken.

7 a.m.: People are found dead in the collapsed Northridge Meadows Apartments. The death toll is later confirmed to be 16.

7:10 a.m.: Los Angeles Unified School District announces the closure of all schools.

7:36 a.m.: Death caused by 14 Freeway collapse is identified as a law enforcement officer.

9:05 a.m.: Gov. Pete Wilson declares a state of emergency and asks President Bill Clinton for federal aid.

9:10 a.m.: National Guard activates its emergency operations centers to help earthquake victims. More than 1,500 troops are dispatched within the next 24 hours.

10:00 a.m.: The Red Cross and Salvation Army set up shelters for people who lost their homes to the earthquake.

12:00 p.m.: Power is restored to nearly half of the 1.4 million LADWP customers.

12:17 p.m.: Gov. Pete Wilson dispatches 500 National Guard troops. More than 1,500 National Guard troops are expected within 24 hours.

1 p.m.: Tens of thousands of L.A. residents “may be homeless,” California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi says.

1:10 p.m.: LAPD reports more than 25 arrests in response to looting incidents.

2:08 p.m.: President Bill Clinton declares L.A. County a national disaster area and releases federal relief for victims of the Northridge quake.

2:20 p.m.: Death toll rises to 29 and hundreds are injured as the search for survivors continues.

3:15 p.m.: Southern California Edison reports that power is restored to all but 150,000 homes and businesses.

Timeline of repairs and legislative changes

Jan. 18, 1994: About 8,000 homes in Simi Valley without running water.

Jan. 19, 1994: President Bill Clinton tours earthquake-stricken areas of Los Angeles and promises full support.

Jan. 20, 1994: Electricity is restored to nearly all parts of Los Angeles.

Jan. 22, 1994: LAUSD resumes in-person classes at many locations.

Jan. 26, 1994: A detour around the damaged section of the 5 Freeway opens to traffic with about half the capacity of the freeway itself.

March, 1994: More than 200 cases of Valley fever are reported as a result of fungus carried in dust created by earthquake lands.

April, 1994: Repairs of the 10 Freeway are finished.

May 6, 1994: Repairs of the 5 Freeway 33 are finished.

June, 1994: California voters reject an earthquake recovery bond.

September, 1994: SB 1953 is signed into law requiring all hospitals to be seismically retrofitted or replaced with earthquake-safe structures.

1996: California Earthquake Authority is created to provide earthquake insurance coverage for homes.

January, 1997: Approximately 13,800 housing units are repaired, roughly three-quarters of all damaged units.

November 1997: A plan to replace the L.A. County-USC Medical Center with a new 600-bed facility is approved.

2008: The annual earthquake drill, the GreatShakeOut began.

2015: The City of L.A. passed a retrofit ordinance aimed at saving lives during major earthquakes inside the city’s most vulnerable buildings.

2019: The city of Los Angeles launched a mobile application that alerts Angelenos of earthquakes of magnitude 5.0 or greater.

Those that died

1. 49-year-old man
2. Clarence Dean, 46
3. Carol Runnings, 48
4. Bea Reskin, 71
5. Angeline (Ann) Cerone, 80
6. Sharon Englar, 58
7. Phil Englar, 62
8. Manuel D. Sandoval, 24
9. Jaime Reyes, 19
10. Myrna Valasquez, 18
11. Cecilia Pressman, 72
12. David Pressman, 72
13. Ruth Wilhelm, 77
14. Darla Rae Enos, 43
15. Jerry Green, 52
16. Adam Slotnik, 27
17. Pil Soon Lee, 46
18. Hawon Lee, 14
19. Ted Peter Fichtner, 28
20. Marc Yobs, 32
21. Karen OsterHolt, 30
22. Amy Vigil-Tyere, 5
23. Gennady Khytman, 45
24. Kevin C. Maher, 25
25. Woman, 92
26. Lionel Ventura, 20
27. Olga Robles Uribe, 26
28. Hannah Kamiya, 75
29. Burton Krell, 57
30. Judith Ann Ng, 42
31. 71-year-old man
32. Beatrice Baitman
33. Marzia Raziye, 22
34. Elizabeth Ann Brace
35. Michael Scully, 33
36. Antonia Munoz, 66
37. Margarite Bullington, 91
38. Leonard Glasser, 60
39. Concha Quintanar, 83
40. Pearl Carr, 70
41. Norman Cole, 79
42. Madeline Riggins, 92
43.  Margarita Vasquez, 73
44. Jerry Borman, 67
45. Herbert Wesley, 45
46. John Nalls, 64
47. Maxfield Smith, 62
48. 62-year-old man
49. Javad Aslenpour, 90
50. Albert Ramus, 75
51. Arnold Sacco, 51
52. Frederico Valenzuela, 55
53. Frances Melton, 80
54. Betty O’Connor, 70
55. Edward Lee Horton, 71
56. Willard Pearson, 55
57. Rose Weinstein, 75
58. Robert T. Hall, 62
59. Refugio Romero, 88

Sources: UPI, AP, California Department of Conservation, Seismic Safety Commission, Earthquake County Alliance, Southern California Earthquake Data Center, Structuremag.org