THE 1994 M6.7 NORTHRIDGE EARTHQUAKE *** A LOOK BACK AFTER 31 YEARS ***
At the time of the earthquake, my wife and I lived in Simi Valley, CA (eastern Ventura County) about 10 miles northwest of the epicenter. Our brand new 2-story tract home (3 months old) experienced strong ground shaking and suffered some damage; it literally felt like a bomb went off under our house. The brittle construction materials (interior drywall and exterior stucco, cinder blocks, and roof tiles) suffered moderate to significant damage, most notably on the first floor. The City of Simi Valley Building Inspectors yellow-tagged our house deeming it unsafe for human occupancy. We were forced to move out in one day while it underwent repairs which took over 9 months to complete. Luckily, the wooden frame of the house flexed as designed and did not incur any significant damage and most of the repairs were to the brittle construction materials.
This talk will take you on a photographic tour through the Los Angeles Basin and surrounding areas after the Northridge Earthquake using dramatic published photography from The Atlantic Magazine, Getty Images, the CSUN Geography Department, and some from my personal collection.