Remembering The 1989 Hill Prieta Earthquake

Thirty years agone today, I was living inward Boston. Working into the evening, the radio was tuned to Game three of the so-called "Bay Bridge World Series", betwixt the Oakland A's in addition to San Francisco Giants.

I grew upwards inward the Bay Area, in addition to bring ever been an A's fan, but I wasn't paying attending to the pre-game chatter. So when i of my colleagues exclaimed that in that place was an earthquake, my kickoff idea was that he was joking. There had been some joking nigh that possibility during the series, in addition to I idea perhaps he was simply giving me some grief.

But it was real. At 5:04 PM Pacific time, on Oct 17, 1989, the devastating Loma Prieta earthquake struck. The motorbus Cypress Freeway inward W Oakland collapsed, killing dozens of commuters inward their cars; the landfill nether San Francisco's Marina district liquified, causing fires in addition to houses to crumble; the Bay Bridge was severely damaged; in addition to buildings collapsed throughout the region.

In those kickoff hours, trying to teach data was nearly impossible. Phone lines were out of service, ability was out, in addition to the TV networks focused their cameras in addition to reports inward simply a few areas - Candlestick Park, the Marina, West Oakland - amongst picayune tidings from the wider region. I shout upwards watching tidings anchor Dan Rather unfold a newspaper map in addition to read off locations, clearly unfamiliar amongst the area.

I was eventually able to connect amongst my solid unit of measurement briefly yesteryear phone. And fortunately no i around me were injured or lost their homes.

I similar to mean value nosotros are meliorate prepared for a major earthquake today than nosotros were thirty years ago.

Today nosotros are definitely meliorate connected amongst each other. In 1989 all nosotros had was our telephone state lines (and no i called them "land lines", because in that place wasn't whatever alternative). Today people acquit a telephone inward their pocket, they tin cheque inward amongst solid unit of measurement in addition to friends from anywhere, in addition to nearly everyone has detailed maps at their fingertips.

When the adjacent big earthquake hits - in addition to it's "when", non "if" - at the to the lowest degree tidings in addition to data should locomote chop-chop available. And for me that reduces the potential fright in addition to incertitude at to the lowest degree a little.

More Information

• Get the MyShake early on earthquake warning app
• San Francisco Chronicle: Voices of Loma Prieta
• The Mercury News: Oakland Tribune’s Pulitzer Prize-winning photos of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
• San Francisco Chronicle: Long-forgotten Loma Prieta quake photos present disaster’s depths
• NBC Sports: 1989 Bay Bridge World Series earthquake: Oral history of the moment, aftermath
• Virtual Museum of San Francisco: 1989 Earthquake History
• Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk: Loma Prieta Earthquake: Havoc at the Boardwalk in addition to Casa Del Rey Hotel 
• USGS: What if the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System Had Been Operating During the M6.9 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake?

Image: USGS Interactive Map of the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, showing milkshake intensity. The epicenter, Loma Prieta, is S of San Jose in addition to northward of Santa Cruz.