This devastating 6.9-magnitude earthquake rocked Northern California on Oct. 17, 1989, with the Bay Area and Central Coast bearing the brunt of the impact. The epicenter was approximately 8 miles north-northeast of Santa Cruz and 50 miles from downtown San Francisco. The quake lasted 15 seconds and struck during the peak of evening rush hour. The resulting catastrophic damage and loss of life forever changed the landscape, infrastructure and people of the Golden State.
Now, 35 years later, we reflect on this historic event, the mammoth recovery effort launched by the Red Cross and partner agencies and how our communities can prepare for the next major disaster.
"It was a real pinnacle moment for me. That's when I decided to seriously consider public safety as a profession. I saw first-hand what public service really means."
Santa Cruz Deputy Chief of Police Rick Martinez describing his experience helping the recovery effort following the earthquake. Read Rick’s story here.
“When I decided to help my community after the earthquake, it was an act of love. That remains very true today.”
Patsy Gasca, Red Cross Disaster Program Manager for Santa Cruz County. The day of the earthquake, she joined other volunteers to help those in need. Read Patsy’s story here.
“As the (days after the earthquake) progressed and the city building inspectors started red tagging buildings, our shelter populations increased day after day after day. It was this constantly escalating disaster, which is unlike many disasters. Often, you’ll have a flood, a hurricane, or a tornado where the damage is done. With (Loma Prieta), it just kept coming and coming and coming.”
Red Cross Chief Operations Officer Jean Nikaloff, explaining how the Loma Prieta disaster continued to displace Oakland residents days following the earthquake. Watch Jean describe her experience ».
Nearly 15,000 families needed immediate disaster assistance. Culturally-diverse communities – 57 different languages spoken by victims – created additional challenges for Red Cross workers.
In total, 45 shelters were opened to house nearly 65,000 people – speaking 57 different languages – during the course of the relief effort.
Nearly 643,000 meals were served in shelters or mobile feeding vans.
Nearly 23,400 homes were surveyed for earthquake damage.
As we were standing outside our newly-renovated home in Belmont on Oct. 17, 1989 at 5 pm, we shook hands with our contractor to thank him for a job well done. Moments later the ground shook under us. We looked at our house and smiled as it was still standing. At that time little did we know of the severity of the earthquake.
We were just getting ready to head into the game when all of a sudden, time seemed to stand still, but the earth surely wasn’t standing still! The parking lot was literally rolling in waves. Cars were swaying back and forth, up and down, with their tires almost coming off the ground. When the shaking stopped, there was a loud roar from inside the stadium. We didn’t yet know the extent of damage and thought that the game would proceed after a delay. While trying to get into the stadium, someone had a little TV and we saw that the Bay Bridge had collapsed. It really sunk in then.
I was at work with clients at 5:01p.m. on Oct. 17, 1989 when the earthquake struck; I thought we were being bombed, the noise and shaking were so severe. We were just six miles from epicenter. My boss at the County Mental Halth Services (CMHS) came by about an hour and a half after the earthquake via bicycle instead of her car since the route to my neighborhood was no longer driveable. We immediately joined the team working at a disaster shelter at the Civic Center in downtown Santa Cruz.
It’s not just California – 45 U.S. states are at risk for an earthquake. Click here to learn how to prepare your family for an earthquake.
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