Calif. Department of Parks and Recreation, P.O. Box 942896, Sacramento, CA 94296-0001, U.S.A. Northridge was the first California Earthquake and first disaster to receive a special grant totalling 10 million dollars to preserve damaged historic properties. This grant program is administered by the Historic Preservation Partners for Earthquake Response, a coalition of national, state and local preservation agencies. Several significant changes were made by the preservationist community to respond to the Northridge disaster and to mitigate the threat to historic sites. These were developed as a result of the difficult learning process provided by the earlier disasters, such as the Loma Prieta Earthquake.
Earthquakes are the most insidious of all natural disasters, putting aside man-made disasters.
There is not an earthquake season such as for hurricanes. Earthquakes do not appear on weather radar. After the Loma Prieta Earthquake, over 1000 aftershocks were felt, some almost as strong as the first. Earthquakes are both physically and emotionally devastating to the population. They can wreck the physical infrastructure - the gas, electrical and communications lines which we are so depended upon.