San Francisco Earthquake
History 1990-1994
January 1, 1990
5K race to benefit those left homeless by the earthquake.
January 22, 1990
Hotel managers said conventioneers have returned but tourists were
staying away. Convention and Visitors Bureau spokeswoman Sharon
Rooney said lingering images of the earthquake fire and rubble were still
scaring away vacationers. "I think people do not realize that the Wharf and
the Marina are not the same thing," said Bob Darchi, of the Fisherman's
Wharf Marriott. He said many potential visitors, especially from overseas,
assumed the television pictures they remember of collapsed and burning
buildings in the Marina District meant the whole city was in flames.
January 23, 1990
Voters will be asked in June to approve the biggest bond issue in city
history, $332.4 million, for repairing buildings and pipelines damaged by
the earthquake.
February 2, 1990
State Senate committee hearings at the Gov. Edmund G. "Pat" Brown
State Building on Van Ness Avenue to determine impact of 1989
earthquake on utilities.
February 5, 1990
Mayor Agnos and Rose Pak, Chairwoman of the San
Francisco-Taipei Sister City Committee, accepted a $100,000 contribution for
earthquake relief from the city of Taipei. The ceremony and reception
were held at the St. Francis hotel on the 20th anniversary of the San
Francisco-Taipei sister city program.
February 8, 1990
Gov. Deukmejian agreed to place bonds for $300 million for
earthquake retrofitting for public buildings on the June ballot.
February 12, 1990
Mayor Agnos demanded "a full, unadulterated public accounting" of
Red Cross donations earmarked for earthquake relief. The Red Cross
scandal was exposed by the San Francisco Examiner which charged that the
agency collected more than $52 million, but spent just over $12 million on
quake relief. Red Cross officials had previously said they collected only
$26 million, but today admitted to a $52.5 million figure.
February 16, 1990
House Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs
subcommittee hearings on earthquake hazard mitigation and earthquake
insurance in San Francisco.
February 20, 1990
Red Cross will spend $40 million dollars to support continuing aid for
quake victims and for earthquake preparedness. The announcement came
after scorching criticism of the relief agency which spent about $13 million
of the more than $52 million it had collected for California relief. Red
Cross had intended to use monies collected for California relief for other
disasters.
February 21, 1990
San Francisco Fire Fighters' Union Local 798 presented more than
70,000 signatures to the Registrar of Voters to quality a measure on the
ballot to increase the number of firefighters on duty. Union President Jim
Ferguson said the earthquake and "the havoc it wrought showed just how
thin our forces have been spread since the budget cuts."
February 23, 1990
FEMA will spend unlimited funds to rebuild San Francisco housing
destroyed by the earthquake. The announcement came following a lawsuit
brought against the beleaguered agency by lawyers for the poor.
President Bush today praised the Red Cross for mobilizing assistance in San
Francisco for the earthquake.
February 26, 1990
Red Cross set March 2 as the deadline for proposals to spend $10
million set aside from the earthquake relief fund. The agency's actions
followed the revelation of the relief fund scandal and the demand by Mayor
Agnos that the fund be audited. The agency intended to keep the additional
$30 million left over from donations sent for quake victims.
Room rates at San Francisco hotels were slashed 20 to 40 percent because
of tourists' fears of another major earthquake. Room occupancy dropped to
70 percent.
The Examiner revealed a Caltrans contractor scandal. The newspaper
reported that Assemblyman Richard Polanco of Los Angeles placed calls to
Caltrans officials in an attempt to get contracts for the J.C. Pride
construction company for San Francisco earthquake repairs. The company
had contributed to his election campaign.
February 28, 1990
Conference called When the Ground Shakes: Policies for Survival in
Earthquake Country held at the Marriott at 777 Market St.
Upland, 40 miles east of Los Angeles, was badly shaken by an earthquake.
Other cities that suffered damage were Claremont, La Verne and Pomona.
State Bar exams at the Pomona Fairgrounds were interrupted by the 5.5
earthquake. 800 law students evacuated two buildings after the temor.
March 1, 1990
San Francisco SPCA reported weird animal behavior before the 1989
earthquake. The SPCA said at the Lindsay Museum in Walnut Creek snakes
were coiling, hissing, shaking their tails and striking just before the
earthquake struck.
March 3, 1990
Assembly Speaker Willie Brown announced the appointment of a
permanent Assembly Committee on Earthquake Preparedness and Natural
Disasters to be chaired by Assemblyman Rusy Areias of Los Banos. The
speaker announced his move during a statewide radio speech.
March 5, 1990
Scientists in Southern California issued vaguely worded earthquake
advisory because of a 5.5 tremor last Wednesday. Michael Guerin, Deputy
Director of State OES said, "Right now in this branch of science, vague is
state-of-the-art."
March 8, 1990
Planning Commission gave approval for the demolition of People's
Temple. Demolition ordered after one wall of the structure collapsed
during the earthquake. It was the former Albert Pike Memorial that was
badly damaged in the 1906 disaster.
Radio transmissions from Highway Patrol cruisers in San Francisco were
heard clearly in North Carolina and interfered with the highway patrol
there. "It's been booming in here for the past few weeks, said Sgt. A.C.
Joyner of the Henderson N.C. detachment. "We hear them talking about
everything from the earthquake to holdups, shootings, whatever.
Sometimes it's pretty entertaining."
March 9, 1990
Gov. Deukmejian declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles
because of the Feb. 28 earthquake that caused $15 million damage to
several communities in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains.
March 14, 1990
A big sinkhole caused the roadway of the Embarcadero to collapse
during rush hour near the Ferry Building. There have been frequent water
and sewer main breaks since the earthquake. This hole measured 12 by 15
feet and was several feet deep.
March 15, 1990
KCBS-AM and KGO-TV won Peabody Awards for earthquake
coverage.
March 23, 1990
Red Cross in Philadelphia announced that the Northern California Red
Cross Relief Committee would fund $33.8 million for earthquake relief
programs in 7 northern California counties.
March 31, 1990
President Bush spoke at the Gridiron Club dinner in Washington and
imitated comedians who impersonated him. "San Francisco earthquake,"
said the President, "not my fault. San Andreas Fault." Several reporters
dressed as broccoli florets for the event.
April 2, 1990
Four-alarm fire burned through the four-story building at Sixth and
Bluxome that partially collapsed during the earthquake and killed six
people.
April 5, 1990
FEMA said no more application for earthquake assistance would be
taken after April 21. To date, 80,584 applications have been accepted.
April 6, 1990
Exhibition game at Candlestick between the Giants and the A's was
interrupted at 7:39 p.m. by a 4.5 earthquake. The tremor capped an
afternoon swarm of tremors that jangled nerves and tossed merchandise
from shelves. The A's won 9-2.
John James McDonald, orphaned in San Francisco during the 1906
earthquake, died of injuries suffered in the 1989 tremor. He was found
injured in his Belmont apartment two days after the quake and died at the
Monterey Convalescent Hospital.
April 7, 1990
Yesterday's swarm of earthquakes continued with a 4.5 tremor at 8:39
p.m. USGS said the earthquake was felt in large parts of the Bay Area and
was the largest of a series of quakes which began yesterday. Three of the
earlier quakes registered over magnitude 3.5.
April 13, 1990
The Oakland Tribune and San Jose Mercury won Pulitzer Prizes for
their coverage of the earthquake.
April 16, 1990
Hundreds of Chinatown merchants went on strike and closed shops for
three hours to attend Board of Supervisor's hearing on Embarcadero
Freeway demolition. Merchants claimed business in Chinatown will wither
without the vital transportation link. The Chinatown Chamber of
Commerce said business was off 15 to 40 percent since the earthquake.
Supervisors passed a resolution, however, supporting Mayor Agnos'
proposal for a sunken expressway along the Embarcadero.
State OES Director Don Irwin urged Californians to prepare for future
earthquakes. Irwin said, "Each major earthquake tells us something about
what we need to change to better prepare for the next one."
April 17, 1990
Six-month commemoration of the earthquake at the Embarcadero a
few yards from the wrecked freeway. Fire buffs displayed a 30-year-old
antique fire engine commanded by Fire Capt.
Richard Bracco for three days after the earthquake to put out fires and
rescue trapped victims. Tables were set up with earthquake preparation
literature and disaster checklists.
April 18, 1990
Magnitude-5.4 earthquake frightened younger celebrants at Lotta's
Fountain as they commemorated the 1906 disaster. 1906 survivors disaster
shrugged off the latest tremor and headed for the Golden Hydrant at 20th
and Church streets for further commemoration of the Great Earthquake
and Fire. It was just one about 100 quake shocks felt throughout the day.
One house collapsed in Watsonville from the shock, and minor power
failures and rockslides were reported.
All 44 BART trains were halted for track inspection after today's
earthquake. Service resumed after 15 minutes.
Mayor Art Agnos criticized scientists who said that odds were good for a
major earthquake in the next 25 years: He told Ted Koppel on ABC, "...the
people who make predictions need to make their science much more
precise and then, when they know exactly when it's going to happen tell us,
because we want the information... . I got the message. I don't need any
more. Save it, and give it to those areas where they need to have that kind
of alert given to them because they are not as experienced as we are."
April 22, 1990
Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent, in today's "Washington Post,"
wrote a touching eulogy to San Francisco police Commander Isiah Nelson
killed two weeks ago in a motorcycle accident on the quake-wrecked
Southern Extension. He was using the closed road as a shortcut from
Candlestick Park to the Hall of Justice. Nelson was with Vincent at
Candlestick Park during the earthquake. The commissioner wrote, "He
was calm, fully in charge, crisp and incredibly helpful. I felt the loss one
feels at the death of a dear friend. I will never forget him."
April 23, 1990
Earthquake-weakened water main failed near Civic Center and created
a large hole in the street.
April 24, 1990
ABC won the 11th Annual Sports Emmy for sports journalism for its
coverage of the earthquake in San Francisco.
Moody's Investors Service gave San Francisco "Aa" rating on the general
obligation debt of the city. San Francisco will offer bond for sale May 2. A
spokesman for Moody's said, "While the effect of last years's earthquake
on both the operating and capital budgets is significant, these projected
costs appear manageable and do not adversely affect credit quality. It is
worth noting that while San Francisco's fund balances remain minimal, the
city was able to absorb the adverse effect in the current fiscal year of both
the earthquake and continued drought without drawing on reserves."
Sears, Roebuck and Co. reported sharply-lower first quarter earnings
because of earthquake losses by Allstate Insurance Co., a Sears subsidiary.
April 28, 1990
A swarm of earthquakes measuring 4.3 to 4.6 knocked out electricity
to homes in the Walnut Creek area. The 4.6 tremor occurred at 9:41 p.m.
One of the quakes was felt at Candlestick Park while the Giants were in the
6th inning of a game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
June 7, 1990
Saint Rose Academy on Pine St., founded in 1862 on Brannan near
3rd, closed its doors due to 1989 earthquake damage.
June 22, 1990
Los Angeles Sheriff Sherman Block told an earthquake preparedness
hearing chaired by Lt. Gov. Leo McCarthy that the greatest problem facing
the county in gearing for a major temblor is the notion that "we're all
going to die anyway." But he said that even "if 25,000 people should
perish" in the "Big One," the rest of the estimated 10 million residents in
the county should have emergency supplies and contingency plans to
survive the chaos that will follow.
June 30, 1990
Magnitude 4.0 earthquake felt in San Francisco at 5:36 p.m. No
damage reported. The quake was centered near San Jose on the Calaveras
fault.
July 6, 1990
CHP report said the woman killed when she drove into the gap left by
a fallen section of the Bay Bridge during the earthquake was to blame for
her own death. The attorney for Anamafi Kalausa Moala called the report
a "whitewash" of the CHP's and Caltrans' bungling of the huge traffic jam
on the bridge and resulting confusion after sections of deck collapsed.
July 13, 1990
San Francisco Chronicle noted some Bay Area hospitals and clinics
reported a mini baby boom 9 months after the earthquake.
July 19, 1990
Scientists said odds that a destructive earthquake will strike along one
of four Bay Area fault segments at some time during the next 30 years are
now 2 to 1. The scientists said they now believe the overall likelihood of an
earthquake with a Richter magnitude 7 or greater before the year 2020 is
at least 67 percent.
August 6, 1990
Red Cross dismissed criticism of its operations following a major
series of articles in a Pittsburg, Pa. newspaper. "It's absurd to look at last
falls' hurricane and earthquake and say the Red Cross can't do the job. The
Red Cross may have had a few little problems, but we were dealing with
two unprecedented disasters," said Barbara Lohman, a national Red Cross
spokeswoman in Washington, D.C.
August 8, 1990
"Midnight Caller" television show highlighted
earthquake-ravaged San Francisco as the topic of discussion on Jack Killian's
radio show as he speaks to listeners in the Bay Area.
October 5, 1990
Golden Gate Bridge District released a consultant's report estimating
the cost of strengthening the bridge and its approaches to withstand a major
earthquake at $75 million to $100 million. District engineer Dan Mohn said
the bridge is safe now but the recommended improvements would keep the
bridge open in a major quake.
October 13, 1990
A large fissure developed in the eastern face of Telegraph Hill. Work
began on rock removal and installation of a rock bolt system to protect
against further rock droppings. The crack was caused by the earthquake.
October 15, 1990
USGS said it has recorded more than 7,000 aftershocks of the 1989
earthquake that range up to 5.4 on the Richter scale. Altogether, five
aftershocks have measured 5.0 or more, and 40 have reached 4.0 or
greater.
October 17, 1990
"We will remember those we lost and celebrate the spiritual fortitude
our city showed after the earthquake," said San Francisco Mayor Art
Agnos. The Mayor asked churches to ring bells at the moment the quake
struck to honor the 67 people who died one year ago. Actor Danny Glover
hosted a ceremony at the Ferry Building, where the San Francisco
Symphony and San Francisco Opera performed as the waterfront building's
flag was hoisted for the first time since the quake. At the same time, the
Chamber of Commerce hosted a "Celebration of Heroes" at Pier 35 for the
estimated 4000 people who helped out in the quakes' aftermath.
November 7, 1990
Red Cross began reorganization following massive criticism of its
performance during the earthquake and the relief scandal. Elizabeth Dole
was appointed to head the organization. Mayor Agnos said, "Elizabeth Dole
has the stature and talent to revitalize the national Red Cross and make it
the kind of modern helping force necessary for disasters in the 1990's.
From our experience in the Loma Prieta earthquake, it is needed."
December 6, 1990
Federal government would pay nearly $25 million to counties hit by
the earthquake to help displaced poor people. FEMA officials backed out of
a similar agreement announced in February, saying it had been signed
under a misunderstanding.
December 17, 1990
Third U.S.-Japan Workshop on Earthquake Resistant Design of
Lifeline Facilities and Countermeasures for Soil Liquefaction, held at the
Cathedral Hill Hotel.
January 28, 1991
San Francisco State's Division of Engineering held two-day
course on Seismic short course on evaluation and mitigation of
earthquake-induced liquefaction hazards.
February 11, 1991
Supervisor Jim Gonzalez requested a hearing on the seismic safety of
City Hall and potential plans by the Department of Public Works to repair
the building. Gonzalez said, "It's time to look at one of the buildings San
Franciscans use the most." Since the 1989 earthquake wooden bracing had
been set up throughout much of the historic structure.
February 27, 1991
Mayor Agnos struck the first blow as demolition began on the
earthquake-wrecked Embarcadero Freeway "Wednesday marks the
beginning of the day when San Franciscans will be reunited with their
waterfront," Agnos said.
February 28, 1991
Strong earthquake shook Upland, California.
March 8, 1991
Repairs on two stretches of earthquake-damaged freeways fell
behind one to two years, a move which Mayor Art Agnos called
"ridiculous." Caltrans said some lanes of the Central Freeway should be
open by spring 1992, and Interstate 280 between U.S. 101 and Army Street
was slated for completion sometime in 1993. That is a year beyond the
department's previous prediction and the fifth time since the earthquake
that the state has changed its estimate.
March 23, 1991
4.8 magnitude earthquake rattled San Francisco at 7:44 p.m. but
caused no damage. USGS scientists said it was an aftershock of the 1989
earthquake.
March 28, 1991
Conference on future earthquakes in the San Francisco Bay Area, held
at the Holiday Inn, sponsored by the Seismological Society of America in
conjunction with the 86th annual meeting of the Society.
April 2, 1991
Gov. Wilson conducted a statewide earthquake exercise by radio.
More than two million people in schools, offices and businesses across
California supposedly ducked for cover at the same instant -- 10:10 a.m. --
as the Emergency Broadcast System tone was heard on radios in San
Francisco, Los Angeles and dozens of other cities. The emergency tone
ended and Gov. Wilson asked Californians to "join in an earthquake duck,
cover and hold drill."
April 17, 1991
Survey taken shortly after the 1989 earthquake found some people
experienced a sense that their surroundings were not quite real. Some
mentioned unusual body sensations, such as spinning or falling down a
tunnel. Others felt that time slowed down or that personal experiences
sometimes seemed as if they were appearing on television. The earthquake
study was released at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatric
Association in New Orleans.
April 18, 1991
Fire Chief Postel released the Departments' official report on operations during the
1989 earthquake.
Survivors of the 1906 earthquake gathered at Lotta's Fountain for the 85th
anniversary. The commemoration featured Ron Fahey, winner of the "Enrico Caruso sound-alike" contest.
June 28, 1991
A 5.8-magnitude earthquake centered beneath the San Gabriel
Mountains killed two people.
August 17, 1991
120-year-old Spring Valley Water Company main along Valencia
Street failed and cut off water to the Mission District during the evening.
Old maps showed a break in same line at the same location in 1906. Martin
Lieberman, manager for city distribution for the San Francisco Water
Department, conceded that the old water line might have been weakened a
second time by the 1989 earthquake.
September 4, 1991
USGS research vessel S.P. Lee began a series of tests in San Francisco
Bay to determine if the region's earthquake faults are connected
underwater, and to help predict if the Hayward Fault is ready to produce a
major temblor. Compressed-air chambers were to be towed
underwater to allow the scientists to read acoustic energy waves bounced
from the chambers to the bottom and back from earthquake faults and rock
layers as deep as 15 to 20 miles. The tests were scheduled to end Sept. 19.
September 18, 1991
Scientists at UC San Diego revealed a new technology that will allow
damaged double-deck freeways in San Francisco to withstand a quake as
large as 1906. Researchers used computer-controlled hydraulic jacks
to generate a force greater than a magnitude 8.0 earthquake on the San
Andreas fault, said Frieder Seible, professor of structural engineering at
the university.
September 20, 1991
A consultant's report estimated that repairing City Hall could cost
more than four times the initial estimate of $23 million. Assistant City
Architect Mark Primeau said the report identifies isolating the base of the
building from earthquake motion as both the least expensive and most
effective seismic strengthening technique. But the cost will still run
between $80 million and $100 million.
An earthquake-damaged section of Interstate 280 in San Francisco
will be reopened by late 1993, not by the end of 1992, as a state official
reported earlier this week.
October 15, 1991
State of California lowered the official earthquake death toll from 67
to 63. A spokeswoman for the Office of Emergency Services said the
change came when county coroners ruled out heart attacks as a cause of
earthquake deaths. "When a person has a heart attack, for instance, that's a
judgement call," she said.
October 15, 1991
Supervisor Angela Alioto called for city's budget analyst to conduct a
complete audit of all expenditures, from all funding sources, relating to the
1989 earthquake. She said repairs on city buildings and facilities were
proceeding too slowly and cost too much.
October 16, 1991
Schools Superintendent Ramon Cortines and Fire Chief Postel
launched an earthquake curriculum designed to help educators integrate
information about earthquake preparedness and safety into the classroom
and home.
October 17, 1991
"My impression as a citizen is that the city's joie de vivre has
recovered," said Dr. Charles Marmar, director of the Veterans
Administration post-traumatic stress disorder program on the anniversary
of the earthquake.
San Francisco had not yet reached agreement with FEMA over how much
of the $117 million in City Hall repairs the agency will pick up. About $94
million is for earthquake safety work. FEMA and the city were also
fighting over damage to another 190 public buildings. The city put the
amount FEMA owed at about $30 million. FEMA only agreed to about $12
million, and San Francisco had received only $4 million to repair the
buildings.
October 21, 1991
The 1989 earthquake apparently did not relieve the pressure on the
San Andreas Fault as expected, said a scientist from the U.S. Geological
Survey. A trenching study of the fault line near Santa Cruz showed
evidence of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and a massive shaker in the
1600s, but no sign of the October 17 earthquake. "The evidence from our
trenching raises many questions about that segment of the San Andreas
fault," said David Schwartz, a geologist from the U.S. Geological Survey.
"Because there was no surface faulting in 1989, strain accumulated in the
shallow crust since 1906 may not have been completely relieved by the
Loma Prieta earthquake," he said.
December 11, 1991
Scientists at a San Francisco news conference revealed the existence of
a deadly new earthquake fault under Hollywood. Dr. Richard Andrews, the
state's emergency services chief, urged citizens and local officials to review
and complete their plans for surviving a seismic disaster. San Franciscan's
seemed unconcerned at this new finding. The research was announced
during the American Geophysical Union's fall meeting in San Francisco.
December 21, 1991
Two-alarm fire did moderate damage to the Embassy Theater
at 1125 Market St. The theater was boarded up after the 1989 earthquake.
It was one of the few structures to survive the 1906 disaster in the
downtown area, but was damaged again in 1989.
February 6, 1992
Earthquake Engineering Research Institute's 44th annual meeting in
San Francisco to highlight new trends in earthquake engineering.
April 22, 1992
Desert Hot Springs in Southern California badly shaken by an
earthquake.
May 30, 1992
Chamber of Commerce solicited businesses for donations to provide
trompe l'oil to help disguise damage at City Hall suffered in the 1989
earthquake.
June 24, 1992
Caltrans awarded an $8.4 million to Guy F. Atknison Construction
Co., for earthquake damage repair and retrofit of a portion of the I-280
freeway in San Francisco. The work was scheduled to begin immediately
with completion in six months.
June 28, 1992
Earthquake in the Landers area of Southern California did major
damage and started fires.
July 27, 1992
Chairman David Coleridge of Lloyd's of London was to step down at
the end of 1992 because of heavy losses suffered by the famed insurer from
Hurricane Hugo and the 1989 earthquake. But investor Claud Gurney, said
Lloyd's had been conducting its business "like a game of poker in a
Lebanese casino."
September 6, 1992
Carter Hawley Hale Stores, Inc., owner of the historic Emporium,
reported a six-million dollar loss, equaling 22 cents a share, because of
damage to company properties by the 1989 earthquake.
March 21, 1993
Oakland's Paramount Theater reopened after extensive earthquake
repairs.
January 1, 1994
New Years' Day earthquake measured 3 on the Richter scale, rattled
the western portion of San Francisco but did no damage.
January 17, 1994
Los Angeles was struck by 6.7 earthquake, the worst tremor in that
city's recorded history. It was felt as a slight bump by a few people in San
Francisco. San Francisco firefighters responded to help Los Angeles
victims. Damage to the electric system caused power failures in throughout
California, except Downtown San Francisco. Seattle and parts of Idaho
were also affected by the blackout. 57 people died in the most expensive
disaster in U.S. history.
February 4, 1994
National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research Workshop on
Seismic Response of Masonry Infills held at the Holiday Inn Golden
Gateway, San Francisco.
June 7, 1994
USGS scientists meeting at Treasure Island said there is a 9 out of 10
chance that a major earthquake will strike the Bay Area within the next 30
years. Scientists also revealed new faults named the Hunters Point Fault
Zone that extended from the Point to the east end of the San Mateo Bridge.
June 17, 1994
State Senator Quentin Kopp said he has "had it" with the slow pace of
repairs on the I-280/Highway 101 interchange and called on Governor
Wilson and Caltrans to do whatever it takes to speed up repair work. The
Bay Area, he said, is getting second-class service from Caltrans
compared with the swift response Southern California enjoyed after the
Northridge earthquake.
August 17, 1994
State Sen. Kopp, wrote in today's edition of the "Bay Guardian" to
complain about Gov. Wilson's cutback of funds for retrofitting California's
highway bridges. "Thus," he wrote, "Californians must trust in the Lord
regarding another cataclysmic earthquake and hope that the governor's
juggling act doesn't result in death, injury, or destruction of a magnitude
exceeding Northridge and Loma Prieta."
September 1, 1994
Earthquake felt in San Francisco at 8:16 a.m. but caused no damage.
The magnitude 7.2 quake in the Pacific Ocean about 90 miles southwest of
Eureka, was along the Mendocino fault. The strongest quake ever recorded
in the area was in 1922 which seismologists believe was centered on the
same fault and registered roughly 7.3.
September 12, 1994
Magnitude 6 earthquake 18 miles southeast of Tahoe Valley was felt in
San Francisco as was the 5.3 aftershock at 4:57 p.m. Richard Andrews,
State OES Director said, "This morning's earthquake should be yet another
wake-up call to everyone living in California that preparedness is the best
defense for surviving an earthquake. It is not a matter of if but when
earthquakes will hit." The earthquakes today caused no damage.
September 23, 1994
Unusual rain, lightning and thunderstorm in San Francisco. Warm and
still in the afternoon. Many native San Franciscan's described it as
"earthquake weather."
October 4, 1994
Tsunami warning for San Francisco and the Pacific Coast following a
great earthquake in the Kuril Islands. The alert was canceled in the
afternoon.
October 17, 1994
The Vallejo Ferry commemorated the fifth anniversary of the
earthquake with ceremonies on the 5:15 p.m. departure from the Ferry
Building. The crew of the Motor Vessel "Jet Cat Express" tossed a floral
wreath into the Bay in memory of the earthquake victims.
Mayor Frank Jordan held an open house for the news media at the 1003-A
Turk St. Command Center to show what what changes have occurred in
emergency management since the 1989 earthquake. State OES director, Dr.
Richard Andrews, also held a news conference in the Marina District to tell
of a new TV public service announcement for earthquake preparation.
Return to top of page. |