With the toppled apartment buildings, fallen overpasses, and the many left stranded or homeless, the 1994 Northridge Earthquake proved catastrophic to many who lived in the San Fernando Valley. and to those who traveled through it to get to jobs in Los Angeles.

KHTS AM-1220 looks back Tuesday for the anniversary of the disaster that caused 60 deaths, left 20,000 homeless, and destroyed 40,000 buildings.

Emergency personnel had to improvise with broken water mains and potential crumbling buildings, with Henry Mayo Newhall hospital lacking running water and the Emergency Center set up at City Hall moved to the parking after official declared the building unsafe, according to those who lived through the rumble.

Perhaps the most expensive and impactful SCV damage was the collapse of Highway 14 and Interstate 5 interchange, preventing travel for the many who held jobs in Los Angeles.

The interchange was also the site of CHP Officer Clarence Wayne Dean’s death and is honored under his name. Dean died from a 40-foot fall off the collapsed freeway, while driving on the in the early morning darkness; he was unable to see the fallen Newhall overpass and failed to stop the fall, dying on impact according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.

Below we have gathered some links remembering the Northridge Earthquake and its impact on our valley.

KHTS Looks Back Tuesday On Northridge Earthquake (2017)

A short video commemorating the 23rd anniversary of the event, taking a moment to reflect on how much the earthquake changed the look of our valley.

Northridge Earthquake January 17, 1994: Caltrans Responds

Our local Caltrans division documents the devastation the earthquake did to our local freeway systems, trapping thousands of residents in the Santa Clarita Valley. The video shows how Caltrans worked to being repairing the unbelievable amount of damage.

Providence Holy Cross Medical Center Celebrates 30 Years For Trauma Center

In a piece commemorating the local hospital’s 30th year operating as a Trauma Center, they remember the vital role it played in dealing with the aftermath, despite sustaining their own structural damage.

The Jan. 17, 1994 Northridge Earthquake Remembered By Santa Clarita (2014)

KHTS takes the time to visit with many local residents, business leaders, and politicians to hear their thoughts on one of our valley’s most devastating incidents. “I would say the best thing that came out of it was the cohesiveness of our neighborhood. We talked to neighbors we had never talked to before. We all pulled out our barbecues out to the cul-de-sac” said Saugus Union School District governing board member Judy Umeck, in 2014