January 15, 2005
By DANA BARTHOLOMEW, Staff Writer
San Bernardino News
When the 1971 Sylmar temblor cracked their home in two, Frank and Herta Neumeister were caught with no water, scant food and little more than an old Studebaker for a roof.
So when the Northridge Earthquake rocked their roots on Jan. 17, 1994, the Neumeisters were ready, with enough water, grub and survival gear to camp for weeks in relative comfort.
"I had the right stuff in '94,' Frank Neumeister, 75, of Sylmar said recently. "We were prepared; Sylmar was a huge lesson.'
Yet despite a century of disastrous fires, floods, mudslides, earthquakes and yes, tornadoes and tsunamis, it's a lesson many Angelenos still have failed to learn.
With the 11th anniversary of the Northridge Quake coming Monday, disaster response experts say millions lack enough food, water and emergency goods to sustain their families in the event of a calamitous disaster.
A recent survey found half of the households in Los Angeles County have taken at least some steps to be prepared for a disaster.
"The bad news is the other half haven't done anything,' said H.T. Linke, spokesman for the American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles. "In Los Angeles County, that's 5million people who are largely unprepared for a major disaster.'
For many, the Northridge Quake still carries painful memories.
The magnitude 6.7 earthquake shook residents from their beds at 4:31 a.m., rumbling from 11 miles beneath the San Fernando Valley for more than 20 seconds.
The quake leveled or damaged an estimated 12,500 homes and businesses, inflicting $40billion in losses. Fires raged. Freeways collapsed. Power, telephone and water service died. More than 20,000 homes went without gas, 48,500 without water.
When the dust settled, 57 people had died, nearly 12,000 lay injured and thousands found themselves homeless.
Fortunately, many now look toward the next calamity with a full larder, water supply, emergency kit and disaster game plan.
"If recent events don't get people prepared, I don't know what will,' Los Angeles firefighter Kevin Mason said at a recent Citizen Emergency Response Team class on disaster prep. "The bottom line something's going to happen and sooner or later we're gonna run out of luck.
"If you're prepared, you can ride through it.'
In 1971, the Neumeisters lived half a mile from the epicenter of the magnitude 6.7 Sylmar Quake, which killed 62 people when it struck at 6:01 a.m.
"Horror,' said Neumeister, a former NBC executive who was raised in Austria during World War II. "At first I thought we were hit by a megabomb.'
By 1994, the family had accumulated a stash of supplies, flashlights, first-aid kits, camping equipment and firewood, which sustained them for a month without lights or water after that quake hit. Today, they have enough supplies to last two full months, including pickled herring, sauerkraut, Ramen noodles, fruits and nuts, 50 gallons of water and a good supply of chocolate.
"We were prepared 100 percent and are today, too. You have your own lifestyle, and when disaster strikes, you have to continue that lifestyle,' he said.
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