On the 30th anniversary of the Northridge earthquake, are you prepared for the next one?

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - "It's easy to forget that we are still an earthquake country."

On the 30th anniversary of the Northridge earthquake, the County of Santa Barbara's Office of Emergency Management is highlighting the need to be prepared for the next big earthquake.

Kelly Hubbard, Director of the Office of Emergency Management for the County of Santa Barbara, says people can prepare by creating an emergency plan and building a preparedness kit that should include a first aid kit, water, a flashlight, and tools. Hubbard adds that when an earthquake does happen, people should not run outside.

"Most of our injuries in California are when people are leaving a building during an earthquake."

Shortly after 4:30 a.m. on January 17, 1994, a magnitude 6.7 earthquake hit Northridge. More than 70 people died and thousands were injured.

While most of the damage was seen in Los Angeles County, more than 500 homes were destroyed in the City of Filmore in Ventura County.

"A lot of what we had in Northridge were houses that either tilted so they weren't braced," said Hubbard.

The Earthquake Brace & Bolt grant program provides eligible California homeowners up to $3,000 toward a residential seismic retrofit.

Homeowners who live in select ZIP Codes, including some in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties, may be eligible for a grant.