All The Times The Disney Theme Parks Have Closed

Early in the morning of January 17, 1994, the earth shook and rumbled throughout the San Fernando Valley area of Southern California. What came to be known as the Northridge Earthquake was among the most devastating to hit the Los Angeles area in recent memory. According to The Atlantic, the 6.7-magnitude scale killed more than

Early in the morning of January 17, 1994, the earth shook and rumbled throughout the San Fernando Valley area of Southern California. What came to be known as the Northridge Earthquake was among the most devastating to hit the Los Angeles area in recent memory. According to The Atlantic, the 6.7-magnitude scale killed more than 60 people, injured around 9,000, and caused major damage — elevated roads cracked, gas lines caught fire, buildings collapsed, and large parts of the area lost power. 

Such a day of death and destruction doesn't seem like the best time to visit Disneyland — or maybe doing so was a defiant statement about the triumph of humanity over nature and misery. The Anaheim, California-set theme park opened like normal just a few hours after the Northridge Earthquake, but it was hardly business as usual. Ride inspectors surveyed each ride for safety-compromising damage before they were individually cleared to open. That's pretty much what Disneyland does now in the event of an earthquake. A seismic event has never shut down the park entirely, but after quakes in 2010, 2014, and 2019, park employees checked all of the rides in Disneyland before allowing guests to board (or re-board, as the case may be).

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