I had the opportunity to go to Los Angeles for a week after the earthquake of 1994. We stayed in a tall hotel in L.A. where the building shook a few times from aftershocks. I was assigned to a crisis center in San Fernando at Northridge University. It was pretty busy. This is where people came who were applying for federal aid, needing to talk to insurance adjusters. There was a health clinic. The staff for that were from the South, Georgia or Tennessee. I talked with individuals and families about bout how they were coping. We had a comic book to hand out that discussed regaining a sense of control after a tragedy. There was also water bottled by Coors which was available for people to take.
We had staff at several sites. At one site they helped someone get into the hospital. I did not have so much excitement.
We drove around the area to see the destruction. It was funny to see how the damage was so random, one block destroyed and the next fine. We say the apartments that had pancaked, and the parking garage which came down.
Sue Villanueva was our lead. I ate Thai food for the first time, very hot but great peanut sauce.
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