On 30th Anniversary of Northridge Quake, Officials Urge Residents to Prepare for Next Disaster

Regional officials are marking the 30th anniversary of the Northridge Earthquake Wednesday by urging residents to prepare for future temblors and other natural disasters, reminding them of the devastation that resulted from the historic shaker.

The magnitude-6.7 Northridge Earthquake struck in the early morning hours of Jan. 17, 1994.

After the dust settled, at least 57 people were dead — some put the death toll at 61 — and 11,846 people in Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties were treated at hospitals. Property losses were pegged at $40 billion.

It was the costliest disaster in U.S. history. Insured losses were estimated at $12.5 billion. Aid from the federal government was estimated at $13 billion.

The quake struck five seconds before 4:31 a.m. and affected an area covering 2,192 square miles. It was the first temblor to knock out power in every area of the vast metropolis of Los Angeles. 

In Pasadena, approximately 29 miles from Northridge, the experience was notably different. The city encountered “moderate to strong” shaking, according to the California Integrated Seismic Network’s Northridge ShakeMap released in 2007, but sustained relatively light damage. This contrasted sharply with the extensive destruction in other parts of Los Angeles County.

Kate Hutton, the former staff seismologist at Caltech’s Seismological Laboratory who became famous on TV for her earthquake analyses and commentaries, once explained that while Pasadena saw numerous chimneys toppled and stucco cracked, the city escaped the heavy structural damage that afflicted other areas. 

This relative respite allowed the Los Angeles area media to converge on the Caltech Seismological Laboratory for crucial information about the quake.

For some Pasadena City officials, the event resonates to this day.

“My son was born in Sept. 1994 and it was a day that seemed surreal watching images on television and realizing they were within 10 miles of me,” recalls City of Pasadena Public Information Officer Lisa Derderian.

“I picked up my landline phone at the time to check on family and couldn’t get through because the system was overwhelmed… My first reaction was panic and then realized I had to take care what I could control in the moment.”

“I checked on neighbors and had some damage to the house. My infrastructure was in place. I cleaned up many items that fell and then went to work.”

“Reflecting on that day, I promised to always be prepared and instill the same in my son, who will likely experience a significant earthquake in his time but thankfully has not up to this time in his life.”

The event notably advanced the field of seismology. It led to enhanced monitoring and reporting systems, particularly at Caltech and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) office in Pasadena. 

The quake’s aftermath saw the adoption of new seismic standards, especially for hospitals, and revealed the complexity of concealed faults beneath Los Angeles, reshaping scientific understanding.

The quake’s timing during the Martin Luther King Day weekend meant that many City state employees were off, leading to a delayed emergency response. 

Historically, Pasadena had experienced more significant damage from the 1987 Whittier Narrows and the 1991 Sierra Madre earthquakes, but the Northridge earthquake’s broader impact on seismic research and preparedness has left an indelible mark on the region. The earthquake’s legacy continues to shape safety, research, and technology in earthquake-prone areas, enhancing preparedness and response capabilities to mitigate future risks.