Anniversary of the Loma Prieta Earthquake

On October 17, 1989 at 5:04 p.m., a 6.9 magnitude earthquake rocked California's Bay Area. As it "rippled outward from its core, it left a trail of destruction from Santa Cruz to San Francisco," bringing about the deaths of 63 individuals and $7 billion dollars worth of damage. Centered near Loma Prieta Peak in the mountains near Santa Cruz, it was the first large earthquake "to jolt the burgeoning urban region since the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906."

This temblor exposed the region's vulnerabilities in earthquake preparedness, and emphasized the need for every person to have emergency plans in place to mitigate the consequences of a disaster. The damage caused by this earthquake served "as a wakeup call to prepare for the potentially even more devastating shocks that are inevitable in the future." The HSDL contains various documents relating to the tragic events of this day, as well as documents to help you prepare for future natural disasters and emergencies. Below are a few of these documents:

• Earthquake Probabilities in the San Francisco Bay Region: 2000 to 2030 - A Summary of Findings
• Reducing the Impacts of Coastal Hazards
• Developing and Maintaining State, Territorial, Tribal, and Local Government Emergency Plans
• Strategic Plan for the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program: Fiscal Years 2009-2013

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