"Los Angeles, California apartment complex is destroyed by the Northridge Earthquake,

At 4:30 am, on January 17, 1994, residents of the greater Los Angeles area were rudely awakened by the strong shaking of the Northridge earthquake. This was the first earthquake to strike directly under an urban area of the United States since the 1933 Long Beach earthquake.

http://www.oes.ca.gov/Operational/OESHome.nsf/PhotoGalleryReport?OpenForm

"Imagine waking up in the middle of the night with your bed shaking, windows shattering, and furniture crashing together. That's what many people in the Northridge, Caifornia, experienced at 4:30am on January , 1994. The ground beneath Northridge shook violently-it was an earthquake."

" Although the earthquake lasted only 15 seconds, it killed 51 people,  injured more than 9,000 people, and caused $44 billion in damage. More than 22,000 people were left homeless"

"The 1994 Northrige, California, earthquake was a costly disaster. Several major highways were damaged and 51 lives were lost"

Source:

Earth Science

 By Glen Coe

"The 6.7 Magnitude Northridge Earthquake struck early in the early morning of January 17, 1994 at 4:31 AM. The Epicenter was in Northridge, California, a suburb of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley. This same general area had been hit by a 6.6 Magnitude quake in 1971. It was one of the most expensive natural disasters in US history, with total damage estimated at $15 billion. The death toll of 57 and 1500 serious injuries is considered low for a quake of this size in a heavily populated area. This was one of the best prepared areas in the world. Most people were safe in their beds at the time of the quke, reducing the casualties. Earthquake awareness in California was high following the 1971 San Fernando quake in this same area and the 1989 Loma Prieta quake in northern California. Building codes required earthquake resistant designs that prevented outright collapse in almost all cases."

http://www.olympus.net/personal/gofamily/quake/famous/northridge.html

The Northridge earthquake caused extensive damage to parking structures and freeway overpasses.

For example, a section of the Antelope Valley Freeway collapsed onto the Golden State Freeway south of Newhall. Also, a section of the Santa Monica Freeway in West Los Angeles collapsed.

In addition, a 2500-car parking garage at the California State University at Northridge collapsed. This structure was about 3 km away from the epicenter.

Furthermore, the Northridge earthquake triggered landslides in the Santa Susana Mountains, Santa Monica Mountains, and western San Gabriel Mountains. These landslides blocked roads and damaged water lines. The landslides also damaged homes, particularly in the Pacific Palisades area

http://www.vibrationdata.com/earthquakes/northridge.htm