30 years later: Remembering the Loma Prieta earthquake
It's been 30 years since one of the most destructive natural disasters to hit California.
On Oct. 17, 1989, the 6.9 Loma Prieta earthquake rocked the Bay Area, causing 63 deaths and $6 billion in damage.
The earthquake hit at 5:04 p.m., with the epicenter about 10 miles from Santa Cruz. In San Francisco, game three of the World Series was about to get underway at Candlestick Park. Baseball fans across the nation watched as the TV broadcast suddenly want to black.
In Sacramento, KCRA 3 was on the air when the quake hit. Anchor Stan Atkinson reported live as the studio shook.
Across the state, people hid under their desks and huddled in doorways as the quake passed.
The surprise from the quake quickly turned to shock, as the extent of the damage became known. A 50-foot section of Oakland Bay Bridge upper deck collapsed, trapping drivers. One driver, who didn’t see the gap, drove into it and was killed.
Soon, there was word of an even greater catastrophe. The Nimitz Double Decker Freeway in Oakland had collapsed and crushed dozens of cars. Bystanders jumped into action, squeezing into the wreckage to try to pull people to safety. Dodging twisted metal and burning wreckage, good Samaritans saved many lives -- but many more were beyond help.
Across the bay, buildings in San Francisco’s Marina District collapsed onto themselves as the ground shook and shifted. Witnesses said the buildings simply fell as the ground liquefied during the quake. Once again, ordinary citizens teamed up with first responders to look for victims. They were forced to call off the search when police, fearing a gas leak, ordered the area evacuated.
Back at Candlestick Park, thousands of baseball fans were faced with confusion and uncertainty. After the game was cancelled, they finally could see the extent of the damage.
Then as night fell, a new threat came. A building in the Marina District began to burn, spreading to nearby blocks and triggering memories of the 1906 Earthquake and fire that leveled the city.
Closer to the epicenter, in Santa Cruz, homes and businesses were destroyed. Among the hardest hit was the Pacific Garden Mall, where walls collapsed, killing two. The quake also opened huge cracks in the earth and caused landslides to block major roadways.
The quake also forced BART to shut down service and closed all major bridges in the Bay Area. The San Francisco Airport had to shut down due to computer problems and flights were diverted to Sacramento.
Days, weeks and months later, homeowners learned many of their homes could not be rebuilt. Many of the city’s historic buildings had to be torn down.
President George H.W. Bush later visited the city to survey the damage and to offer comfort to the victims. He met with rescue workers, calling them "a thousand points of light in the destruction."