17 years past 15 seconds

[gridlore]

17 years since the Earth shattered under Loma Prieta, and only the Giants and A's being in the World Series saved a few dozen dead from being many hundreds.

Loma Prieta Day.

I was about six blocks from the Cypress Structure when the quake hit. I will never forget that sound as long as I live.

So, where were y'all for the Sort-of Big One? If you're not a local, where were you when you heard about it?

Comments

[supersniffles.livejournal.com]

I was just leaving work at Bloomster's Florist (about a half-mile from where you live now.) I'd stopped to chat and then started towards the back room to grab a soda when the earth moved. I thought, "Huh, an earthquake...Oh, shit!!! An earthquake!"
The next thing I knew I was huddled on the ground next to the cooler window with my boss, watching the vases sheet off the shelves.

[figmo.livejournal.com]

I started answering this, but it got so big I posted it here (http://figmo.livejournal.com/455591.html).

[sylvan.livejournal.com]

I was at De Anza Junior College on the payphone in the student smoking lounge talking with dave_over and "lj user="justnate">. They felt it first and mentioned an earthquake and then I felt it. I thought fun; I will talk to them through the earthquake! After all it started like any other quake. Then it jumped into high gear. I heard a terrible crunching type sound and realized that it was time to "not be inside the building with so many huge windows. The phone was dead and I ran. I looked over to where my girlfriend was to see Turner pulling her away from the table they were at as the air conditioning unit came crashing down on the table. Probably the nicest thing he is ever done... There was a thundering sound of cracking stone. Later I would learn that the structure of the split level building I was in fractured. I remember the feeling of running straight across and the ground falling and then rising up to meet my feet. As I cleared the glass doors I realized amidst the panicked, frenzied screams of terror that this was it; this was the big one. I kept running and took in the huge waves splashing out of the fountain and the saplings bouncing back and forth like demon possessed metronomes. I probably would have kept running until it was over, but a flying plastic garbage can sideswiped me. It was over and I got up, desperately looking for someone I knew. The first person I saw was Bobby, Schizo's boyfriend ot the moment. Some of you may remember him- he was a baby-faced skinny blond boy (same build as Schizo) with bright blue eyes and full red lips- he was pretty. We barely knew each other, but grabbed onto one another and held each other tightly for a long time- long enough that we both slowly realized that perhaps this was not how we wanted our partners to find us. He kissed me quickly and we set off to find our lovers. It ended up being 3 days before I got home and it was not until the next morning that I learned that entire peninsula was not collapsed and on fire, which is to say I learned that my father, grandmother, and great aunt may be alive. They all survived the quake.

[aurictech.livejournal.com]

I was on TDY in Houston at the time. This turned out to be fortunate, as I also missed Hurricane Hugo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Hugo) as he blew through the Carolinas.

[firestrike.livejournal.com]

In Walnut Creek, sitting in the dentist's chair. I didn't even notice the quake. I found out about it by hearing about it on the radio

[melchar.livejournal.com]

Lessee, I was in New London, CT, watching the start of the World Series and the coverage went to earthquake. Stared at various TV station coverages for the next day.

Was in part astonished, because we were slated to come out here the following week. [And had reservations in Mtn View already, because we would've been SOL for accomodations, otherwise.]

[grimmwire.livejournal.com]

Saw a report on the CBC National news on the TV in Montreal.

Later I read Stewart Brand's article on his experience of the quake and its aftermath, "Earthquake Lessons" (http://sb.longnow.org/Earthquake%20Lessons.html) in Whole Earth Review magazine.

This is certainly one of the best articles published by WER, which is saying a lot. Everybody should read it, whether they live in a fault zone or not.

[mdlbear]

I was at work. Even in a building designed to ride out earthquakes, the sixth floor gives you one heck of a ride. Took me several hours to get home; with a mile or two to go I parked the car and walked the rest of the way -- it was faster.

[davehogg.livejournal.com]

Auburn Hills, Michigan.

I had just left a College Dems meeting, and was about to drive home. I turned on the radio about 10 seconds before the earthquake - I hadn't even backed out of the parking spot when the announcer said "We're having an earthquake."

[docwebster.livejournal.com]

I was house sitting for some folks back home when (and please forgive me if I'm getting the occasions wrong) the picture went bad. I didn't hear Al's words right before the balloon went up, but Al Michaels, you should pardon the expression, stepped up to the plate that day.

[blueashke.livejournal.com]

Riding in a car on El Camino right by Tanforan. A car coming off of the 280 offramp flipped over and I pointed it out to Beth, saying that I thought there was an earthquake. She was more than a little old and she said, "oh no, dear. He just took the turn too fast."
Get this though: My mother was on the 12th floor of a building downtown. My aunt was at the game (thankfully was up in the shade and near an exit), and my uncle was on the bridge (missed the break by less than a minute). My little sister and dad were at home and the worst that happened there was she (6) smacked herself in the head with the spoon she was using to make a sandwich.

Nothing broke in our house, oddly enough (SSF).

[murphymom.livejournal.com]

At College of San Mateo in a second-floor classroom. When the quake started, the instructor said, "That's just a little quake." When it kept going, I said, "No, that's a BIG quake, and we should all get out of here." But I didn't realize HOW big until I got to my car and turned on the radio.

Fortunately, our house was built on bedrock, and the duplex R. owned had been reinforced, so we had very little damage.

[murbin.livejournal.com]

I had just flown out of SFO back to the Boston area the day before. I don't remember when I first heard of it, but I do remember what my brother said about it. He was home that day, I think he was living in Lexington at the time. He ran out of his ground floor aparment waited for the ground to stop rolling.

The next day, he was back at work in downtown SF, and had to go to the areas built on landfill to assess the damage. I remember him saying that it was really bad. When I was out there a few years later, I remember talking to firefighters who were working on the section of freeway overpass that had collapsed on a section of freeway below it.