Remembering the 1994 Northridge, CA Earthquake 30 Years Later

[okikuma]

In my lifetime, I have experienced major earthquakes in two states and three countries. What is so memorable with the Northridge Earthquake for I was the vertical movement more so than the side to side shaking with other earthquakes. Officially, the quake was labeled as 6.7 in seismic magnitude. Months after the earthquake, I was told by a seismologist the earthquake was actually measured as a 7.2 however the Federal Government ordered the seismic report to be lowered to 6.7. With an earthquake that is measured greater than 7.0, the Federal Government through FEMA would pay for damages by grants. Below a 7.0, payments are made by low interest loans from the Federal Government. Damage cost added up to about $50 Billion in 1994 dollars. Paying that mount in grants would have severely hurt the Federal Government. Nowadays, that amount is chump change.

My house experienced no major damage.

Wayne

 

[RogerB]

The government would rather change an earth quake than payout

 

[okikuma]

One of the interesting things that happened during the earthquake was a Southern Pacific freight train derailment. Also some months after the quake, I met the locomotive engineer that was operating the train that derailed. He told me that he could see a three foot ground wave as an ocean swell approaching his locomotive as he traveled east bound down the tracks. Before he could put the train in emergency braking, the lead locomotive hit the wave and was launched airborne off the tracks. The rest of the train derailed behind him.

Wayne

 

[WaspAir]

In NorCal, we were still getting over the Loma Prieta quake (officially 6.9) when that happened. Weirdest thing I recall is that frame shops had eons-long wait lists for all the smashed glass in everyone's pictures and certificates across all the Bay Area counties.

 

[MikeBoyette]

I was in the Army at the time. My platoon was TDY in San Diego tasked with Lighting Up the Border. My Roomate at the time (we were staying in BOQ on North Island Navel Base) was from Baumount TX and I am from Florida. We felt it where we were. He woke up screaming scared to death I told him be calm get in the bathtub, only thing I could think of since we are taught that for a tornado) by the time we were in there is was over. Couple of young buck soldiers screaming like little girls. Damn flat Landers.

 

[okikuma]

I was in the Army at the time. My platoon was TDY in San Diego tasked with Lighting Up the Border. My Roomate at the time (we were staying in BOQ on North Island Navel Base) was from Baumount TX and I am from Florida. We felt it where we were. He woke up screaming scared to death I told him be calm get in the bathtub, only thing I could think of since we are taught that for a tornado) by the time we were in there is was over. Couple of young buck soldiers screaming like little girls. Damn flat Landers.

The image of you two in your skivvies sitting in the bathtub together had me ROTFL!

On 04 JULY 2019, I just finished participating in our annual Santa Clarita Independence Day Parade. After the parade, I was going to meet up with some friends at our local Saugus Cafe. I walked inside and the restaurant started to rock n roll very gently. I knew it was a large earthquake some distance away. I soon found out it was a 6.4 quake near Ridgecrest, CA around 75 miles away from Santa Clarita. Same general area of Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. The following day while I was at work in a hospital in West Los Angeles, a larger 7.1 earthquake hit Ridgecrest, CA (105 miles away from where I was at). I was on the eighth floor (the highest floor) when the building started to rock n roll. The majority of my co-workers started to run down the hallway abandoning their patients. I'm sitting in a chair watching each and everyone run past me, and looking at me like I'm some idiot because I was not panicking and running out with them. I calmly walked to each patient's room (since I was the only nurse left on the unit) checking on each patient and confirming that it was an earthquake. Telling them not to worry, the building was designed to ride out a direct 8.0 shaker. Hospital protocol was after we experienced an earthquake, each nurse is to re-evaluate the acuity of their patients and use an algorithm to determine if the patient can be sent home or to another hospital, freeing up beds if needed for patients with major injuries.

California built wood framed single story houses with stucco or siding ride out earthquakes very well. Those types of structures will move with the shaking. Un-reinforced masonry and concrete slab walled buildings fare much worse.

California mandates houses are to be bolted down to concrete slabs and foundations. A friend of mine's house was not bolted down. During one very large after-shock, my wife and I literally watched his house leap off the ground with daylight showing under the parameter walls. The lag bolts were present. During construction, none of the lag bolts had any washers and nuts holding down the house down to the concrete slab.

Wayne

 

[Aerofoam]

. During construction, none of the lag bolts had any washers and nuts holding down the house down to the concrete slab.

Wayne

Oops!

 

[WaspAir]

Sounds like a sloppy inspector was in the mix.

 

[Aerofoam]

Sounds like a sloppy inspector was in the mix.

Or a paid off inspector, or no inspector, incompetent inspector, the list is lonnnnng........

 

[okikuma]

Sounds like a sloppy inspector was in the mix.

JR,

Unfortunately, sloppy inspections are the norm. Think 737 door plug.

When my house was being built, I noticed many of the walls were missing diagonal bracing. From the nearby wood pile, I'd pull out 1 x 6s and add the diagonal bracing myself. I also checked each concrete slab lag bolts were in place and proper washers and nuts were installed and tightened accordingly. I know that "inspections" are performed in front of the house in the street so "no one" would notice or even care about my extra bracing. The reason why my house rides out earthquakes just fine. That and being a single story structure and located on an earth cut (my purposeful choice of house location) and not on an earth fill.

In 2022, I experienced a flood inside my house. Everything inside had to be removed, all the flooring removed and all the walls cut open four feet high. A great opportunity to check each lag bolt and nuts, and the security of the diagonal bracing. All were just fine.

Wayne

 

[Sv.grainne]

Or a paid off inspector, or no inspector, incompetent inspector, the list is lonnnnng........

Sounds like my experience with Lee County, FL!

 

[Henry_GyroLife]

I live only 10 miles from the damaged 14 highway bridge when it happened. I also experienced 2011 the big Japan earthquake when I was in Tokyo.

 

[WaspAir]

JR,

Unfortunately, sloppy inspections are the norm. Think 737 door plug.

I volunteered every Saturday for 12 years as construction crew for Habitat for Humanity in Santa Clara county in California, and our inspectors were incredibly thorough. I remember one guy noticing a single missing hurricane clip on just one 4x8 roof panel on a four unit project. We didn't get any breaks from them - tough but fair seemed to be the rule.

 

[okikuma]

I volunteered every Saturday for 12 years as construction crew for Habitat for Humanity in Santa Clara county in California, and our inspectors were incredibly thorough. I remember one guy noticing a single missing hurricane clip on just one 4x8 roof panel on a four unit project. We didn't get any breaks from them - tough but fair seemed to be the rule.

The difference is those who are there for Habitat for Humanity do care and want to make a difference. The quality of workmanship would be of a high standard, and the inspections would be tough and fair. The recipients will receive a much better constructed house as compared to someone who purchased a tract home with a 30 year mortgage.

Wayne

 

[WaspAir]

P.S. Sorry to hear about the flood!

 

[okikuma]

The image of you two in your skivvies sitting in the bathtub together had me ROTFL!

On 04 JULY 2019, I just finished participating in our annual Santa Clarita Independence Day Parade. After the parade, I was going to meet up with some friends at our local Saugus Cafe. I walked inside and the restaurant started to rock n roll very gently. I knew it was a large earthquake some distance away. I soon found out it was a 6.4 quake near Ridgecrest, CA around 75 miles away from Santa Clarita. Same general area of Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. The following day while I was at work in a hospital in West Los Angeles, a larger 7.1 earthquake hit Ridgecrest, CA (105 miles away from where I was at). I was on the eighth floor (the highest floor) when the building started to rock n roll. The majority of my co-workers started to run down the hallway abandoning their patients. I'm sitting in a chair watching each and everyone run past me, and looking at me like I'm some idiot because I was not panicking and running out with them. I calmly walked to each patient's room (since I was the only nurse left on the unit) checking on each patient and confirming that it was an earthquake. Telling them not to worry, the building was designed to ride out a direct 8.0 shaker. Hospital protocol was after we experienced an earthquake, each nurse is to re-evaluate the acuity of their patients and use an algorithm to determine if the patient can be sent home or to another hospital, freeing up beds if needed for patients with major injuries.

California built wood framed single story houses with stucco or siding ride out earthquakes very well. Those types of structures will move with the shaking. Un-reinforced masonry and concrete slab walled buildings fare much worse.

California mandates houses are to be bolted down to concrete slabs and foundations. A friend of mine's house was not bolted down. During one very large after-shock, my wife and I literally watched his house leap off the ground with daylight showing under the parameter walls. The lag bolts were present. During construction, none of the lag bolts had any washers and nuts holding down the house down to the concrete slab.

Wayne

Here are before and after satellite photos of the ground surface rupture the 6.4 and 7.1 Ridgecrest earthquakes caused.

Wayne

After 6.4 quake

After 7.1 quake