The Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 caused extensive damage in Northern California, resulting in approximately 60 deaths and 4,000 injuries. The quake occurred during the 1989 World Series, with footage captured by news cameras. The Bay Bridge and Interstate 880 suffered significant damage, with 42 people killed. Seismic retrofitting helped mitigate further damage, but experts urge disaster preparedness for future earthquakes.
The Loma Prieta earthquake was a major earthquake that caused extensive damage throughout Northern California on October 17, 1989. Known variously as the ’89 Earthquake or the World Series Earthquake, the earthquake is believed to be responsible for approximately 60 killed and nearly 4,000 injured. Experts suggest the damage from the Loma Prieta earthquake would have been far more devastating were it not for widespread seismic retrofitting across much of the Bay Area and other affected areas.
According to some scientific findings, the Loma Prieta earthquake may have been linked to a series of magnetic disturbances near fault areas that had been occurring for nearly two weeks before the quake. At 5:04 am On October 17, 1989, the 7.1 Richter scale earthquake struck deep in the Santa Cruz Mountains near Loma Prieta Peak on the San Andreas Fault. Along the fault line, which serves as the primary boundary between the Pacific and North American tectonic plates, surface rock fell as much as 7 feet (2.1 m) during the quake.
By the time of the Loma Prieta earthquake, the Bay Area was already in a frenzy for the 1989 World Series, which was contested between two local teams, the Oakland A’s and the San Francisco Giants. The quake occurred during warmups for Game 3 of the series at Candlestick Park, meaning that considerable footage of the quake was captured by news cameras already in place. This marked one of the first earthquakes where extensive news footage was filmed during the event.
One of the most recognizable damage sites from the earthquake is the Bay Bridge, a two-story structure that connects San Francisco to Oakland. As a result of the earthquake, a section of the upper deck collapsed, trapping people on both levels of the deck. One of the most incredible stories of the Loma Prieta earthquake concerns a survivor named Bruce Stephan, whose car plunged into the collapsed bridge hole and almost fell off the structure. Mr. Stephan, who escaped a tragic death in the earthquake, also miraculously survived the attacks of September 11, 2001 in New York, despite him being on the 65th floor of the World Trade Center at the time of the attack.
The devastation in all other parts of the Bay Area managed to outweigh the collapsing bridge. On Interstate 880 at Cypress Viaduct, the two-level highway collapsed completely, killing 42 people. The Pacific Garden Mall in Santa Cruz suffered substantial collapses that killed three more people. As brick facades, walls, towers and buildings collapsed around San Francisco Bay, many more were killed and thousands injured. Fires raged in the area, burning a sizable portion of San Francisco’s scenic Marina neighborhood, as fire trucks became entangled in traffic delays from the quake.
In the wake of the Loma Prieta earthquake, local officials have vowed to expand efforts to make roads, bridges and structures safe. It was more than a decade before most of the damage was repaired, much of the time spent rebuilding the Cypress Viaduct. Despite the damage and loss of life, experts suggest the earthquake’s destructive effect could have been much more extensive, but has been deterred by seismic retrofitting in many areas. Earthquake experts, however, continue to urge disaster preparedness and increased safety measures to better prepare California for similar or larger earthquakes in the future.
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