The past few weeks the local stations have been doing specials on the 1906 Earthquake and Fire in San Francisco. On Tuesday, April 18th at 5:12 am, it will be 100 years since the earth shook with a 7.9 earthquake and became an integral part of San Francisco’s history. That will be a different diary.
For now – I’m going with the more personal side of earthquakes. What it means to live in earthquake country.
Read on and see what it is like…
I’ve been in California since 1974 and all but one year has been in the SF Bay Area. The other year was in LA. When I moved here I was 18 and didn’t think about earthquakes. I’m not sure that I even realized they were a big deal until I’d been here a few years. During the next 15 years, there were a few ‘shakers’ as we would call them that I experienced. Something between a 3.5 and 4.5 and nowadays they would be good for betting on. If you saw the movie “Volcano” and the crews betting on magnitude and epicenter…well it really happens! And for the record…Richter 10 was just bizarre. There was one earthquake greater than 7.0 during these 15 years. I’ve listed the 7+ quakes below.
Don’t get me wrong – we take 5’s and 6’s seriously. These quakes generally cause large amounts of property damage in areas where there are unreinforced buildings. But the “Big One” is always going to be defined as 7 or greater (I included Northridge because of the amount of damage sustained).
So the “7’s” since 1974:
- 7.2 Nov. 8, 1980 West of Eureka (offshore) Injured 6, $1.75 million in damage
- 7.1 Oct. 17, 1989 Loma Prieta 63 killed
- 7.3 June 28, 1992 Landers 1 killed, 400 injured, 6.5 aftershock
- 7.2 April 25, 1992 Cape Mendocino (offshore) 6.5 and 6.6 aftershocks
- 6.7 Jan. 17, 1994 Northridge 61 killed, $15 billion in damage
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So with knowledge of only one big earthquake in my 15 years, and that one off the north coast, why would I worry.
And then it was October 17, 1989
It was an ordinary day – for a CPA firm near the SF City Hall. We had just finished the last of any tax returns with final extensions. It was a hot, muggy day. The air was still which was unusual for SF. For some of you to understand – it’s the heavy feeling just before a big thunderstorm is about to break after a hot sultry day. Very still. We joked at lunch that it felt like ‘earthquake weather’…because this is not unusual for little quakes.
End of the day. I was one of 10 or so closing up the office and getting ready to go home. It was 5:04 pm and it was opening day of the World Series: SF vs Oakland. Most of the U.S. was home getting ready for the game. Most of my office was AT the game. I’m walking down the hall to the kitchen with my coffee cup to put it in the dishwasher. The floor shook hard – like a semi-truck had run into the building. Then it stopped. Then it was a rolling shake that continued for a really long time. Trust me, 30-45 seconds is long time when the floor is moving!
I had moved to a doorway and stood watching ceiling tiles and metal framing around those tiles fall to the floor. Stood watching books fall off of bookcases and fans fall of shelves. Then it stopped. We all called out to make sure others were okay. Yep…no worries…some stuff fell that’s all. Then the power went out. The few of us carefully went through and turned off computers at the surge protectors. Turned off light switches, and went down 2 flights of stairs to go home.
On the streets…brick facades had collapsed…some windows had broken but no big deal. Then we crossed the street. Huge cracks had appeared in the walls of a couple of old buildings. Cracks, 1-2 inches wide, that were 8-12 feet long, running diagonally up the side of 3 story buildings.
A lot more concerned now we walked the half block to the parking garage, no power, dark basement, dripping pipes over the cars, but no noticeable damage. Okay – hugs to co-workers and get home to families. Me – north across the Golden Gate Bridge…another east across the Bay Bridge. I made it home in about 35 minutes – due to collapsed buildings in the Marina access to the GG Bridge and traffic problems in the financial district. My friend Stu – well a section of the Bay Bridge collapsed. He ended up driving from SF to San Jose and then back up the far side of the bay to his home in Castro Valley. That night it took him 4 hours. The folks at the game…3-4 hours also because of the damage in SF and to the bridge.
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What happened that October forever changed my understanding of people in times of crises and governments when people are in need.
The lights were out on the streets of SF as I worked my way to the bridge. People had stepped to the intersections and were directing traffic. Somebody was stranded and the local coffee shop gave them a place to wait. There were 2 women waiting at the last bus stop before the bridge – and the buses were not going to be there that night. I drove them to their stop 20 miles up the road.
- When the Cypress freeway collapsed, everyone that could helped. And miracles happened when people were brought out of the collapsed freeway.
- When the entire downtown of Santa Cruz (near the epicenter) collapsed, trucks of food and water and supplies were driven in by strangers.
- When they declared the Marina district homes uninhabitable – hundreds of trucks and thousands of volunteers showed up to help strangers move to a new place.
- When we called to volunteer – it was the local governments – Oakland and San Francisco that organized the help. Don’t ask me about the Red Cross – that’s a rant diary.
- Was there Federal assistance – I don’t know. The City of SF coordinated everything I saw. It all went through the Office of Emergency Services.
So before I continue….a picture…
This neighborhood was built on landfill and collapsed due to liquifaction. This is the Marina District with beautiful view of SF Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. For more information visit the website for Loma Prieta, from SF Museum History
Same area…up the hills looking back to the bay
So…what did I learn…
- I live in one of the most caring, sharing and loving places on earth.
- That each of us are neighbors and we helped each other.
- That local governments, properly managed, and aware of their geographic risks, can be prepared for an emergency.
- That each of us as individuals has a responsiblity to be prepared for an emergency.
Each day I’m aware of the earthquake potential, but relish each day that I’m here. I’m aware of my neighbors and friends and we have refined our preparedness. We can not walk in fear of the disasters that may befall us. We can only walk in the beauty around us and in us.
So when the “Big One” comes, we’ll pull together as neighbors, be it anywhere in California. We’ll pick up and go help, and we’ll help each other rebuild. We have 100 year history to live up to….and we are up to the task.
