The Sylmar earthquake was the first big quake in the Los Angeles earthquake since 1933, and the first of my generation. The 12 second-long 6.6 temblor hit at 6:00 a.m. in Newhall. 64 people were killed, many of them in hospitals, and one as far away as Downtown L.A. I was only four and we lived in Carson, but I can still remember my brother’s huge fish tank sloshing water and guppies all over the floor. Here is a Dragnet-style video with access inside the city, with emergency services in the air, and on the ground with the police. WARNING: There are a few bloody faces and bodies under blankets.
Recent Comments
- Movies Till Dawn: This is Not a Dream | The LA Beat on Movies Till Dawn: The Saturday Morning Strange: “Fighting Life” (1981)
- Summer Music Series Brings Live Music to the Original Farmers Market Through August | The LA Beat on 7 Reasons You Need to Go to El Granjero Cantina
- Movies Till Dawn: Some Kind of Love 2 | The LA Beat on Movies Till Dawn: Getting Dark
- Elise Thompson on Movies Till Dawn: Monsters Lead Such Interesting Lives
- The 20 Best Italian Restaurants in Los Angeles - Eater LA on Offbeat L.A.: That’s Amore- The Oldest Surviving Italian Restaurants & Delis in Los Angeles
Categories
I was 15 and lived in Sunland. Our concrete block wall in the back yard fell down like it was pushed by a giant hand. Our chimney from the fireplace separated and wound up 55 inches from the house but still standing. My friends and I wound up riding our bikes around Sunland, where some of the homes had river rock fronts that had collapsed completely. My parents were not happy that I left to do that.
Most amazingly, my turntable from my stereo fell off my dresser—-but the amazing thing was, except for a small tick at one point, my new copy of Led Zeppelin was still playable!