Members of the public often refer to this large seismic event on October 17, 1989 as the "Bay Area quake", which is actually not correct.  Although there were some terrible effects that occurred in the Bay Area, it was actually on part of the San Andreas fault in Northern California, and was epicentered in a fairly remote area of the Santa Cruz mountains quite a distance away from the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Area.

 

 

The event also is one that demonstrates the fallacy of the myth that large quakes only happen at night or in the early morning hours.  Striking at a strong Richter 7.1, it did more than $8 billion in direct damages with seconds after it began at 5:04 PM.

 

One of the reasons so many people remember this event as the "Bay Area" quake is because of the strong and disturbing visual images.  These included the downed segment of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay bridge and of the collapse of a section of the Interstate 880 freeway in Oakland.  It is the latter incident that brings for the sad, but instructive, lesson regarding the Buck Helm story.  To inquire about how his story may some day save YOUR life, send us an email inquiry, using "Buck Helm" in the subject line (earthquakesolutions@earthlink.net).

 

Sixty-two souls were lost to that earthquake, and thousands were injured.  In a note of grace, many of the workers in buildings in the heart of the city had altered their schedules due to the World Series that was to be played that evening.  It likely reduced the number of deaths and injuries that occurred.

 

In addition to the bridge and roadway collapse, there was significant structural damage in the Bay Area, and many fires, especially in the Marina district.  Much of the heaviest devastation occurred in liquefaction zones.

 

Areas nearer the epicenter received less extensive media attention but were very heavily damaged.  Hardest hit were Santa Cruz, Los Gatos and Watsonville. 

 

We know many of the personal stories of people who experienced this quake, including one man who was in the Bay Area on business, staying on the 8th floor (or was it 18th?) of a hotel.  Power went out, and it would be night before long.  Water could not be lifted up through the building, and his rental car was in a subterranean garage and inaccessable.  He had virtually nothing with him in his room.  The television also landed on the pillow where he would have been if he had been sleeping.  The hotel and the city were in chaos.  ATMs and gas pumps were out.  Stories like these also occurred during the Northridge quake and other disasters, such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  They are lessons to all of us that we must be prepared even when we travel.

 

In this case, the sense of helplessness that the gentleman encountered ultimately led to him starting a business back home in Southern California that competed with Earthquake Solutions for several years until he closed.  This man lacked the extensive training and experience we have, but because of the way he entered the business, the gentleman had a level of commitment to doing what he could to help people. 

 

That attitude should have shamed those opportunists who also jumped into similar businesses but without seriousness of purpose.  Those types took their profits until they started losing money, and then folded.  Take this as a cautionary note for future reference, because many in the construction and related industries also swarm devastated areas after a big event, and many are not properly qualified, or can even be scam artists. 

 

The story of this fine gentleman also allows us to focus on the positive.  A lemons to lemonade story.  And this a real truth:  Along with the devastating or fearful aspects of a disaster also usually comes new opportunities.  It's a matter of which eyes you are willing to see with.