Letters to the Editor: My daughter was born days after the Northridge earthquake. What a week

To the editor: The handful of stories about the Northridge earthquake — which hit 30 years ago on Jan. 17, 1994 — elicited many feelings and memories.

In January 1994, I was living in Granada Hills, while my parents lived directly behind the Northridge Meadows apartment complex. I saw the damage there — the complex collapsed, killing 16 people — and to numerous other buildings that morning.

My cousin and her husband graciously came over to help me clean up. My 45s had fallen from the wall unit, but there was one single by Carole King that curiously was off on its own: “I Feel the Earth Move.”

Our home was not as damaged as many others, but we had to move to the city due to a lack of working utilities, and to be near Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Six days after the earthquake, my daughter was born.

It was a shaky week that ended with joy.

Ken Feldman, Tarzana

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To the editor: Lorraine Ali’s article on the Northridge earthquake had a photo of the destruction to the 5-14 freeway interchange near Santa Clarita. A caption mentioned that a police officer had died there. It would have been nice to have read his name.

Clarence Wayne Dean was a Los Angeles Police Department officer with 26 years on the force. His shift wasn’t supposed to begin when the quake hit, but he suited up, got on his motorcycle early and went in to work.

It was still dark, and he was unaware that the overpass had gone down. He went off the edge and died.

The interchange there is now named for him. Give the sign a salute as you drive by.

Pete Sloman, Pasadena