Sylmar Earthquake
 The 1971 Sylmar earthquake struck at 6:00:55 a.m. on February 9, 1971. The earthquake was centered near Sylmar in the northern San Fernando Valley. It had a magnitude of 6.6. The quake claimed 65 lives and caused more than half a billion dollars in damage, including the destruction of two hospitals, a freeway interchange and the lower Van Norman dam. Damage to the dam caused concern that it might collapse and evacuations were ordered for various parts of the San Fernando Valley below the dam. The most spectacular damage included the collapse of structures at Olive View Hospital in Sylmar, which had opened one month before the earthquake. The earthquake pushed the hospital a foot off of its foundation, causing the first floor to collapse, killing three patients and a hospital worker. 49 people died at the Veterans Administration Hospital at San Fernando. A freeway overpass connecting Interstate 5 and the Antelope Valley freeway also collapsed, which resulted in the deaths of at least two people. The interchange was rebuilt and reopened in 1973, but collapsed again 21 years later during the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, killing one person. Click for video
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