Events Mark 5th Anniversary of Deadly Northridge Quake

A weeklong commemoration of the fifth anniversary of the Northridge earthquake kicks off today when former Gov. Pete Wilson, Mayor Richard Riordan and others share their recollections of the disaster during a ceremony at Northridge Hospital Medical Center.

The “Week of Remembrance” opening event will also be attended by Jerry Prezioso, a survivor of the deadly collapse of the Northridge Meadows Apartments, and Firefighter Mike Henry, who pulled Prezioso from the rubble. Others who are attending the ceremony include hospital employees and patients, including six families who had babies evacuated from the hospital. Those babies are now 5 years old.

“The Northridge earthquake was the turning point for Los Angeles,” Riordan said Wednesday. “Five years later, Angelenos can proudly say we’ve come back stronger than ever from the nation’s costliest disaster.”

The magnitude 6.7 temblor struck on Jan. 17, 1994, killing 57 people and causing $40 billion in damage, much of it near the epicenter in the San Fernando Valley.

The city is still recovering. City Hall remains closed as workers repair damage and retrofit the building to better withstand earthquakes.

“This week is a time to remember those who lost their lives to this disaster, to honor the survivors who triumphed over adversity, and to salute all the Angelenos who so heroically gave of themselves,” Riordan said.

The week of events includes a 20-mile bike ride Saturday, led by Riordan, that begins and ends at Cal State Northridge.

The ride, pegged as an event to “celebrate the successful earthquake recovery in Northridge,” will include stops at the San Fernando Mission and the historic Cascades, where water from the Owens Valley enters the San Fernando Valley.

The first 1,000 riders will get free T-shirts and water bottles from the Department of Water and Power. Registration begins at 6:30 a.m. in Parking Lot T at the university, and the ride begins at 8 a.m.

More information on the bike ride is available by calling (213) 847-3634.

Today’s ceremony begins at 1 p.m. at Northridge Hospital Medical Center’s Roscoe Campus, 18300 Roscoe Blvd.