On October 17, 1989 at 5:04 p.m., the San Francisco Bay Area experienced a magnitude 6.9 temblor, the strongest one since the Great Earthquake of 1906.

Unfortunately, 63 people were killed and nearly four thousand people were injured as a result of the earthquake, named Loma Prieta after a part of the Santa Cruz Mountains which lie along the San Andreas Fault.

It’s been 35 years since that earthquake, but I remember it like it was yesterday. My family and I were fortunate. We didn’t have any physical injuries, nor structural damage to our home.

I was in Oakland when the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake hit.

I was home with my brother, but he had just stepped out to throw out the trash. I was sitting at the foot of my bed when I suddenly felt the bed shake slightly. I thought my cat, Amiee, had jumped on my bed behind me, so I didn’t think anything of it.

The shaking got stronger and I thought maybe she had started to scratch vigorously to mark her territory. But as I turned around to look at her, she was sitting completely still and looking back at me. Next I heard a creaking sound. Then I felt a quick jolt, which startled Amiee. She leapt off the bed and crawled underneath a table.

Smart kitty! At least she remembered what to do. Meanwhile, I forgot everything I practiced during annual earthquake drills at school. I forgot to get under a table or stand in a doorway.* Instead, I panicked and jumped onto the bed and just watched the light fixture on the ceiling sway back and forth.

I could hear the song, “Angelia” by Richard Marx playing on the radio during the shaking. When it stopped playing, I feared the power had gone out. Thankfully, it didn’t. I could still see the time in glowing numbers on the clock radio.

Official reports say the shaking lasted a mere 15 seconds, but to me, it felt longer. I waited a few more seconds for any aftershocks before getting up.

As I opened the door to go look for my brother, I saw him sprinting toward me. He told me that he had seen the pavement move like a wave on the ocean.

We tried to call our mother’s office, but there was no dial tone on the phone. Panic set in.

Our mother had had a rule: no TV until our homework and chores were done. With her voice in my head, I reluctantly broke that rule and turned on the TV. We wanted (needed) to see the news! We’d experienced earthquakes before, but none were ever this intense. The movement felt like driving along a bumpy road, but instead of in a vehicle, it was in a house.

October 17, 1989 was also Game 3 of the World Series. It was called the “Battle of the Bay” as it was between two Bay Area teams, the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics (A’s). The news replayed footage from Candlestick Park capturing the moment the quake hit, only half an hour before the game was scheduled to start. The images of confused players and fans flashed on-screen in between real-time video of visibly frazzled news anchors reporting on the injuries and damage as details became available.

📺 Part of the Bay Bridge broke! The upper deck of the Cypress portion of the Nimitz freeway fell on top of the lower deck! Fires broke out in the Marina District!

Since there was no dial tone on the home phone, my brother and I walked to the nearest payphone while there was still daylight. Our mother usually left work at 5:00 p.m. There was a slim chance she’d be in the office, but I had hoped someone (anyone) would pick up the phone. The payphone had a dial tone, but the call wouldn’t go through.

Disheartened, my brother and I walked back home and turned on the TV again.

I don’t recall how we’d spent the next few hours. Did we eat? Did we do our homework? I remember just doing a lot of waiting. I couldn’t call anyone. I didn’t know what else to do but sit and stare at the TV.

Then, a few minutes past one o’clock in the morning, we heard the front door open. We rushed to greet our mother, nearly knocking her over! Relieved to be reunited after no contact for several hours, we hugged and, in between sobs, asked each other, “Are you OK?”

She told us moments before the earthquake hit, she and her colleagues were on their way home waiting for the elevator. She said they had to walk down several flights of stairs to leave the building.

With the damaged Bay Bridge closed and all BART trains stopped, many people, including my mother, were transported by bus from San Francisco to the East Bay via the Golden Gate Bridge (which incredibly didn’t suffer any damage) and the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.

I’m grateful my family wasn’t physically injured during the Loma Prieta earthquake. Whenever there’s been a quake since then, the shaking takes me back to that October 17 so many years ago. The initial fear comes from the unknown: How long will it last? How strong will it become? Living in California, we are in a constant state of preparing for the “Big One.” I sure hope the big one on October 17, 1989 was it.

What to do during an earthquake

Earthquakes are an inherent part of living in California. But wherever you are in the world, when an earthquake hits, you can reduce your chances of injury indoors from falling objects (like light fixtures!) if you drop (to the floor), cover (under sturdy furniture and protect your head with your arms and elbows), and hold on (until the shaking ends). If you happen to be outdoors, you should stay outside, but away from buildings, trees, windows, and power lines.

Drop, Cover, Hold On: probably not a good idea to take selfies during an actual earthquake! This selfie was taken during an earthquake drill at work (2017)

*(Note: The Great ShakeOut, established in 2010, advises against standing in a doorway during an earthquake.)

For more information

Great ShakeOut (normally takes place annually on 10/17 at 10:17 a.m.)

YouTube: Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills

U.S. Geological Survey: Loma Prieta Earthquake 35th Anniversary Compilation (photos by USGS)

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