Hope at the Epicenter of Loss
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In the chilly predawn of Jan. 17, 1994, the three-story Northridge Meadows apartment complex withstood the first shock waves of the Northridge earthquake. Then it collapsed, killing 16 people. The squat ruin of the building became an icon of loss; the image of a second-story balcony resting near ground level was indelible.
Even after the ruins were erased, the empty lot was a dusty reminder of the lives once lived there. This week, the site burst back into activity as construction crews revved up their heavy equipment and began preparing the ground for a new building.
Scheduled to open next year, the renamed Parc Ridge complex will be built to tough new earthquake standards. As the builders point out, the project is a memorial as well as a symbol of recovery: Sixteen trees will line the driveway.
The quake took something from everyone that morning. From some it took everything. But at the epicenter of loss, hope returns.
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