Quake Memories : Voices

“It has been one year now, and I can honestly say that I have not had one day free of fear and anxiety since Jan. 17, 1994.”

--Bette Hirsch Levy of Tarzana

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“I was jolted awake as it took only seconds to realize that our worst nightmare was coming to life.”

--Karen Brasel of Northridge

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“We couldn’t see a thing and wondered if the sun would come up.”

--Ron Epstein of Woodland Hills

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“I never prayed so hard in my life!”

--Sister Andrea Baeza of the Guardian Angel Convent in Pacoima

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“It is one of those shared experiences indelibly etched in your mind like ‘Where were you when Kennedy was assassinated?’ . . . this is ‘Where were you during the quake?’ ”

--Michael Greer of Sherman Oaks

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“All of our walls came down that day, both literally and figuratively, bringing us and our neighbors a newfound kinship in the wake of disaster.”

--Carol Cotter of Granada Hills

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“I remember yelling out to him, ‘I love you,’ but later he said he hadn’t even heard me, the earthquake was that loud.”

--Van Nuys resident Nancy Lambert, recounting what she and her husband experienced during the quake

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“I learned that night that my love for my family was greater than I ever suspected.”

--Laura Peters of Studio City

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“I will always picture in my mind the moment when I came around the corner to find him standing there with a tin cup in his hand, saying, ‘I have coffee!’ ”

--Chatsworth resident Nancy Klinger, commenting on her resourceful husband

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“All of this terror, pain and fear and the only thought I can remember running through my shaken, bloodied head was, ‘I’m so happy I’m wearing my flannel pajamas.’ ”

--Sandra Fitzgerald of Sherman Oaks

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“We whispered to each other, ‘This is the end,’ as the building shook and we could hear everything crashing in the apartment.”

--Woodland Hills resident Ruth Dubow, recalling what she and her husband said during the earthquake, which struck four days after their 59th wedding anniversary

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“I wondered what angered the earth so much or caused God to show such wrath. Was it because we’ve abused her so, leaving ugliness in our path?”

--From a poem by Bernice Isaac of Woodland Hills

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“I’ll never forget my scream when my mortgage lender told me I had no insurance, followed moments later by tears of joy when my insurance agent informed me I had full coverage.”

--Richard Dansereau of Sylmar

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“Courtesy of Mother Nature, we were required to explain to our son that his toy Godzilla did not actually cause the earthquake.”

--Sonya Williams of Winnetka

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“Humor is always a good healer.”

--Robert Miret of North Hollywood