SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) — 25 years ago on Thursday the Northridge earthquake devastated parts of the San Fernando valley.
Dozens were killed when the powerful quake hit.
News 8's Shannon Handy took a look back at our reporting from the tragic day and reports on what a local expert is saying about San Diego’s current infrastructure.
News 8 reporter Chris Saunders took us to Sherman Oaks on Jan. 17, 1994.
“We're on Ventura Boulevard and everywhere you look there's damage,” Chris said.
The Northridge earthquake hit at 4:31 a.m. that day and measured a 6.7 magnitude.
Nearly 60 people died as the result of the earthquake.
News 8’s Loren Nancarrow visited an apartment complex in Northridge where the top stories collapsed onto the first floor killing several residents.
He also showed us the nearby mall where a parking structure crumbled.
"Imagine if it hit during daylight hours?" Said Loren.
From above, News 8’s Liz Pursell gave viewers a better glimpse of the destruction including buildings and freeways that turned to rubble.
"A row of office buildings were destroyed by fire and the freeway took a deep dive at La Cienega,” Liz reported.
$40-billion in damage was caused by the Northridge fire.
The quake was not only terrifying for those who experienced it first-hand, but it was also a wake-up call in the way things are built.
"We do try to learn from every one and we try to change to building codes,” said San Diego-based geologist Pat Abbott.
He says the reason that quake was so destructive is because it hit in a way not often seen.
"A fault 11 miles deep moved up and so it not only shook the valley with seismic waves, but you literally bumped the valley up,” said Abbott.
Since then, new construction projects have had to abide by newer codes and, in Los Angeles, an ordinance was passed to retrofit some pre-1980 structures.
While that has made the area safer, Abbott says there's still more work that has to be done - not just in L.A. - but in other places where a big earthquake can hit like San Diego.
News 8’s Gina Lew also reported on the Northridge quake’s devastation visiting several homes that were hit hard that day.
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