The Big Rumble - 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake 20th Anniversary

The city of San Francisco is preparing to rumble to mark the 20th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989, the largest since the Great Quake of 1906.

Called 'The Big Rumble', the anniversary will be in the form of 'Where Were You In '89?' neighbourhood block parties, and city-organized activities. The aim is to raise

awareness in preparation for the next widely-anticipated Great Quake to hit the city.

Events will start on Monday, October 12, and run every day to the anniversary date of the quake, Saturday, October 17. At the closing ceremony, there will be a fundraising launch to build a monument to honour the city's firefighters.

Kickoff is in the City Hall with a panel of disaster responders discussing advances made in emergency planning and quake protection since 1989, with a presentation on the last quake. On Thursday there will be a California-wide Drop, Cover and Hold Drill, and on Saturday the street parties and four Preparedness Fairs across the city will be held.

The 1989 quake was the largest on the San Andreas fault since what is known as the Great Quake of San Francisco of 1906, for which the city still holds annual commemorations with a few remaining survivors.

The Loma Prieta quake struck across Central California with a magnitude of 6.9. It killed 63 people, injured 3,757, made over 12,000 people homeless and caused about $6 - $10 billion in property damage. San Francisco suffered about $3 billion of damage.

From the city, one of the most memorable news shots was of a collapsed section of the Bay Bridge - see pic above taken from USGS website - where one female driver died and her passenger was severely injured when the driver failed to see the gap and stop in time and her car fell into the broken section.

The quake was also famous in news shots around the world as it occurred during the warm-up of a World Series baseball game between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Raiders and was caught live on camera at the Giants' former Candlestick Park stadium.

Its epicenter was in the Santa Cruz Mountains in the forest of Nisene Marks State Park, near Santa Cruz and just south of the Loma Prieta Mountain after which it was named. Near the epicenter it was recorded as beginning at 5:04:21 p.m., and arrived at the Presidio next to the Golden Gate Bridge at 5:04:37 with the heaviest shaking recorded at 5:04:47 p.m.

Along the coast, a four-foot tsunami wave rose up in Monterey Bay, there was a landslide under the sea, and the sea level in Santa Cruise harbour fell by three feet. A magnitude 5.2 aftershock struck 37 minutes after the initial shock and altogether 51 aftershocks of magnitude 3.0 and larger occurred during the first day.

Looters were warned that they would face jail and no bail, and a 24-year-old man was shot by a distressed motorist when he was caught stealing traffic flares from volunteers.

In order to encourage people to remember and prepare, The Big Rumble 'has worked closely with San Francisco SAFE Inc, The American Red Cross, the Neighborhood Empowerment Network, the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services and the Department of Parking and Traffic to help you produce a one-of-a-kind fun filled day for your community.'

Limited grants to help towards some of the street costs of a block party are being offered, with applications needing to be in by next Wednesday, Sept 23.

In the aftermath of the 1989 quake, US Geological Survey scientists said they stood by their report warning of a major earthquake in Southern California by 2018. Last year, earthquake experts forecast a Great Quake over the next 30 years, ie by 1938.

More info:

For events info and toolkits: http://thebigrumble.org

USGS - US Geological Survey - Earthquake Hazards Program
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/states/events/1989_10_18.php

San Francisco Earthquake History 1915-1989
http://www.sfmuseum.net/alm/quakes3.html#1989

pics of the quake are taken from the USGS website. They show: the Bay Bridge; devastation in the Marina District; cars crushed near 5th and Townsend where five people died

1906 San Francisco Earthquake Anniversary

The terrible events of the 1906 earthquake and fires that devastated San Francisco were remembered this morning in a brief ceremony with two of the few remaining survivors as guests of honour.

Marking the exact time and date that the earthquake struck - 5.12 am on April 18 - up to 200 people gathered in the dark for the anniversary at Lotta's Fountain on Market Street in the heart of the city.

Sitting in a vintage car, surrounded by many members of their families, were Rose Cliver, 106-years-old, and Bill Del Monte, 103-years-old. For both Rose and Bill, it was their first appearance at the city's ceremonies which have been held for many years.

Lotta's Fountain, restored to it's original 1875 state and once again flowing with water, was one of the few monuments left standing after the quake that flattened among many others the City Hall. It became the desperate focal point for people seeking information in the search for survivors.

The quake only lasted for about a minute but in it's wake was one of America's greatest natural disasters that took about 3,000 lives, left 225,000 to 300,000 people homeless and caused damage in today's currency of over $8 billion.

Measurements of the quake intensity vary but the US Geological Survey puts it at 7.8, with the epicenter at Mussel Rock, south of the city on the Pacific
Coast and the point where the San Andreas fault enters the San Francisco Peninsula. The quake ruptured the San Andreas fault and caused damage as far south as Los Angeles, north to Oregan and inland to Nevada.

Today that era was invoked with some people dressed in period costumes. Rose and Bill sat in their vintage car in the middle of the ceremonies. Members of the San Francisco Fire Department, who brought a vintage fire engine, participated as well as representatives of the Red Cross and other civic dignitaries.

Rose and Bill were formally thanked for their longevity in a short speech, most of which was inaudible on the sound system. There was a minute's silence, a piper played Amazing Grace and then came the eerie sound of sirens wailing together with the frenetic clanging of a bell from a vintage street car.

Senator Mark Leno laid a wreath on the fountain and the crowd sung 'San Francisco, Open Your Golden Gates.'

After that, the crowd milled, many of them surrounding Rose and Bill with great interest and taking photos. Rose, who was three-years-old at the time, lived on Bernal Heights and looked down on the city as it burned. Bill, who was three-months-old, was carried with his family through the burning streets on a 'buckboard' - a horse-drawn cart - and ferried across the bay to safety. Interviews with Rose and Bill and their families are in the next blog.

Not long after, Rose and Bill were driven away for the second part of the ceremony, the painting gold of a fire hydrant in Dolores Park that saved the Mission District churches.

One of the costumed couples were Bea and Dana. 'It's our first time to come here to the event,' said Bea. 'We're trying to connect, that here the city celebrates its history, because we think history is important.'

Also included in this weekend's events were a 'Bloody Mary' breakfast at Lefty O'Doul's, a private screening of Alon Aranya's film '1906' at the Westin St Francis in Union Square where Rose and Bill were treated as guests last night, and a Survivor Luncheon at John's Grill.


pics show: Rose Cliver and Bill Del Monte surrounded by admiring well-wishers; the crowd with Lotta's Fountain to the right; Bea and Dana; Kij and Gregg