DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES: Three people died of quake-related heart attacks at Cedars Sinai Medical Center, which received a "tidal wave of walking wounded," according to a hospital spokesman. Officials urged residents to boil drinking water due to broken mains. Part of Interstate 5 fell across Southern Pacific tracks.
NORTHRIDGE: At least 14 people crushed to death in collapse of apartment building; a 64-car freight train derailed. Bullocks department store at Fashion Center collapsed into a pile of concrete and steel.
SYLMAR: More than 70 homes burned down, and a power substation was badly damaged. Two people died from quake-related heart attacks at Holy Cross Medical Center. Sylmar Hospital was deluged with more than 250 patients.
HOLLYWOOD/WEST HOLLYWOOD: At least 50 buildings were destroyed and many homes - including some multi-million dollar structures - slid off their foundations.
MALIBU: Houses damaged and roads closed by dirt slides along hills where the fires had burned off the vegetation.
STUDIO CITY: Jan Klunder said his apartment "looks like it's been ransacked."
SHERMAN OAKS: Two died when a home slid down a hillside and collapsed. Many of the worst fires were reported here. "This place was moving like a jackhammer was going at it," said resident Richard Goodis.
GRANADA HILLS: Some homes were reduced to rubble, others exploded into flames as gas leaks ignited. A Kaiser Permanente administration building swayed back and forth before dropping straight down.
FILLMORE: A radio station reported gas fires.
BEVERLY HILLS: In ritzy Beverly Hills, along Rodeo Drive, the city's high-priced shopping district, broken glass littered the sidewalk, store window displays were toppled.
BURBANK: Residents had no power, no water and gas leaks.
SAN FERNANDO: An oil line exploded, sending fire leap-frogging along a residential street. Dozens of cars lining the streets exploded from the intense heat.
RANCHO CUCAMONGA: One woman who broke her neck died when she slipped and struck a crib at her home.
I-10: At Fairfax and La Cienaga, cars trapped as highway falls on nation's busiest highway.
HIGHWAY 118: Pavement buckles on Simi Valley highway
HIGHWAY 101: Pavement heaves in Agoura Hills
HIGHWAY 14/I-5: Motorcycle police officer dies in fall off broken span. Four spans down on connector from Highway 14 to southbound I-5. Two spans down from Highway-14 to I-5 north.
EPICENTER: Northridge
Where the quake occurred 1) The earthquake was directly under Northridge 2) . . . on a previously unknown, east-west fault. 3) Almost 10 miles under Northridge, rock on one side of the fault surged upward 4) . . . while the other side plunged downward. Such movement
characterizes a "thrust fault." 5) The quake was caused by a rock 10 miles long by two miles wide that moved upward one foot, setting off vibrations that spread out as a quake. 6) Geologists won't know if the fault broke through to the surface until they examine the area.
What makes the bridges buckle and fall Horizontal shaking is what usually causes bridges and buildings to fall down during earthquakes. But the California Department of Transportation says it appears vertical forces also caused freeway damage in this earthquake. Only in a few cases has vertical shaking been strong enough to overcome the downward weight of structures.
Girders that support the road decks fall off the top of support columns. California began retrofitting bridges after 1971 quake by tying the girders to columns and other girders with steel restraining cables.
Columns fail near footings when concrete shatters and reinforcing steel inside fractures or buckles under the load.
Vertical forces cause columns to punch up through deck, says California Department of Transportation.
Earthquake-proofing bridges 1. Steel cables are attached to bridge girders and to the columns to restrain movement. 2. New concrete walls are added between existing columns to make structure more rigid. 3. Concrete columns are encased in steel jacket to keep concrete from crumbling when shaken by earthquake.
The Richter scale The Richter scale measures the amount of energy released in an earthquake. Each number on the scale represents a quake 10 times as strong as the next lower magnitude. For example, a reading of 7 is 10 times stronger than one reading 6.
1-3 Slight quake Not felt.
3-3.9 Slight quake Felt indoors, like the rumbling of a passing train.
5-5.9 Considerable quake Felt by all. Dishes, windows break.
6-6.9 Severe quake Hard to keep balance. Chimneys, houses could collapse.
7 plus Major to great quake Substantial damage or destruction of brick and wooden buildings. Fissures form in the ground, objects thrown into the air.
Protecting homes against quakes
Owners can do much to protect their houses against earthquake damage. Some simple projects, such as strapping down water heaters, can reduce damage. Homeowners in quake-prone areas should consult experts to find weak points. Most homes can be made more earthquake-resistant, but not earthquake-proof.
Simple things to do Remove heavy items hanging over beds Secure top-heavy furniture to walls Anchor hanging lamps Keep emergency supplies on hand Put latches on cupboards to keep doors from swinging open Strap water heater to wall studs
More costly measures Replace unreinforced brick chimney with a reinforced one or lighter metal chimney. Top should be replaced with a metal flue. Walls between foundation and bottom of first floor may need extra bracing Bolts should anchor the wood sill to the foundation Foundation should have adequate steel reinforcement
Reinforcing larger buildings Some use metal straps, braces, or other strengthening parts for seismic resistance. Some taller buildings have ductile frames that move with the earth. Frame thus absorbs much of the quake's destructive energy. State-of-the-art isolators are bearings separating the ground from the building so if the ground shakes, the building does not.
