The above photo is of a parking garage structure in Northridge on the morning of the 1994 earthquake.  It measured 6.7 but it was also an impressive quake in the ground acceleration.  That means it had very good ground motion that carried a great distance.  It was strongly felt as far away as Las Vegas which is 270 miles from that quake’s epicenter.

The aftermath of the earthquake could have been more significant for two reasons:  it happened at 4:31 a.m. and it was on a Federal Holiday, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  For both of those reasons, there were less people on the road and less people at work.

Oh btw, if you’re going to get all technical on me, there was a bigger and more recent earthquake is So Cal.  It was the Hector Mine Quake in 1999 that happened in a remote area of the Mojave Desert.  It measured 7.1.

Here’s a comprehensive list for earthquake preparedness.  I hope you’ll click on it and refresh your memory.  It’s only a matter of time, you know?

American Red Cross Earthquake Checklist