40 Years Ago Today: The Sylmar/San Fernando Earthquake Strikes Los Angeles

An hour before sunrise, at 6:01 AM on February 9, 1971, the greater Los Angeles area was struck by one of the most devastating earthquakes in California history.

On this 40th anniversary of the Sylmar/San Fernando Earthquake (the public and scientists have used both names to describe the event) the Los Angeles Fire Department asks you to remember the magnitude 6.6 temblor that took 65 lives and caused more than a half-billion dollars in damage.



Memory of the 1971 quake faded for many, when 23 years later, the Northridge Earthquake awakened millions in our region through destructive pre-dawn shaking.

Are you and your loved ones any more prepared today than those 'old-time' folks we see in the video? Chances are the answer is no.

That's why Neighborhood Firefighters encourage you to "Be Ready!" by taking simple action today to prepare for the inevitable - because nobody believes it will be another forty years!


Submitted by Brian Humphrey, Spokesman
Los Angeles Fire Department