The 1971 Sylmar earthquake profoundly affected how California responded to such risks

The magnitude 6.6 Sylmar earthquake that shook Southern California on Feb. 9, 1971, caused significant damage and 64 deaths. What few realized at the time was how close it came to being far more catastrophic. The disaster still holds lessons 50 years later.

Feb. 9, 2021 6:10 AM PT

Yadira Flores is a former video editor for the Los Angeles Times who joined the newsroom through Metpro in November 2017. Flores graduated with a bachelor of science in filmmaking and has edited online content for Amazon, the American Cinema Editors, FilmLight, Emmy Primecuts and Moviola. She hails from El Paso, Texas.