The small earth quake we had on Monday jolted more than just the ground around Encino, it brought back some of my memories of the Northridge Earthquake of 1994. Mathematically I know that is 20 years ago, but I was never very good a math so it doesn't seem that long.
There are similarities. Both happened on a Monday, holidays of sort. Jan 17, 1994 was Martin Luther King Day and Monday was St. Patricks Day, and both happened in the darkness of early morning. The Northridge was a 6.7 and the Shamrock Shaker ( the media dubbed name) was a 4.4. That means the Northridge was about 7 or 8 times stronger than the Shamrock Shaker. The Northridge lasted 27 seconds and the Shamrock lasted about 4 seconds. Of course 27 is a little more than 6 times longer. So you get the picture.
Most every dish in our house was broken in 1994. The refridgerator fell over and the water heater lost its footing and broke through the closet where it was usually unseen. The chimney of our Sherman Oaks home was one of the few in the area that did not fall. Needless to say it was a huge mess to clean up.
I remember a story from the time. Since that Monday in 1994 was a holiday a friend went out and partied very hard. In fact he was so well lubricated he slept through the actual quake. Very hung over he finally woke up to find everything in his apartment turned over and broken, and his dog cowering in the corner. He assumed the destruction was the dogs doing and punished him.
The other story involves a lady who did wake up in the shaking. Her elderly father was staying with her at the time. Of course the Northridge happened at 4:30 in the morning and all the electricity went out. Exiting in the dark the lady bumped into a very disoriented man in the living room. She grabbed him by the arm and practically pushed him outside. She was thinking how muscular his arms were for a man his age. That is when she noticed her father slowly walking from the other side of the house where he had already exited. She turned to the man she had escorted out. He immediately ran away in the dark. It was a thief who had been robbing the house at the moment the quake hit.
Ten down and over to you Dorothy Kilgallian. (Unless you are my age or older that Kilgallian reference will mean nothing to you.. )
As you were,
Jay
Most every dish in our house was broken in 1994. The refridgerator fell over and the water heater lost its footing and broke through the closet where it was usually unseen. The chimney of our Sherman Oaks home was one of the few in the area that did not fall. Needless to say it was a huge mess to clean up.
I remember a story from the time. Since that Monday in 1994 was a holiday a friend went out and partied very hard. In fact he was so well lubricated he slept through the actual quake. Very hung over he finally woke up to find everything in his apartment turned over and broken, and his dog cowering in the corner. He assumed the destruction was the dogs doing and punished him.
The other story involves a lady who did wake up in the shaking. Her elderly father was staying with her at the time. Of course the Northridge happened at 4:30 in the morning and all the electricity went out. Exiting in the dark the lady bumped into a very disoriented man in the living room. She grabbed him by the arm and practically pushed him outside. She was thinking how muscular his arms were for a man his age. That is when she noticed her father slowly walking from the other side of the house where he had already exited. She turned to the man she had escorted out. He immediately ran away in the dark. It was a thief who had been robbing the house at the moment the quake hit.
Ten down and over to you Dorothy Kilgallian. (Unless you are my age or older that Kilgallian reference will mean nothing to you.. )
As you were,
Jay
1 comment:
Frightening. Least you survived it enough to write and look back on it. It's sad to know about the damage to your appliance and furniture. Replacing or repairing them would be quite a cost, but it's better than not having the necessary appliances at all. Should work as an opportunity for improvement or getting the proper heating or house maintenance somewhere down the line.
Levi @ Capital Plumbing
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