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Events | Bay Area Earthquake Alliance

1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake 20th Anniversary Events

Loma Prieta Commemoration

Watch videos of the USGS Press Conference and the Great ShakeOut.

Marina Earthquake Memorial

Marina Earthquake Memorial banner

The original 53-year-old, sixteen-foot tower monitor from the Fireboat Phoenix will be incorporated into an urban monument as a permanent memorial to the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The Marina Earthquake Memorial will commemorate the Fireboat Phoenix (built in 1954) and the Portable Water Supply System (PWSS - invented in S.F. by Asst. Chief Frank Blackburn (ret.), SFFD, in 1984) that worked together to save the Marina District from a major fire that followed the 1989 Earthquake.

The monument will be placed on an existing plot of grass by the SFFD reserved parking area adjacent to the Marina Green along the S.F. Bay. It will serve as both a tribute to the San Francisco Fire Department’s response and interaction with neighborhood citizens in 1989, and as an educational tool that can show how the PWSS works using water from the SF Bay.

Download Flyer (Adobe .pdf)

The Big Rumble, San Francisco

The Big Rumble icon

The Big Rumble is an annual event series aimed at providing the residents of San Francisco with the information and knowledge to prepare, respond and recover in the event of a disaster. By engaging the public through a variety of channels, The Big Rumble will offer meaningful opportunities for hands-on experience to help make the concept of disaster preparedness and recovery more tangible to the San Francisco community.

Events are planned through the week of Oct 14 – 17, 2009, including Shake Out SF 2009, a 2-day summit, public/neighborhood events and culminating in a ceremony to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake. A city-wide earthquake drill will be conducted in conjunction with a state-wide drill.

Event Details | Download Flyer (Adobe .pdf)

Commemorating Loma Prieta: The Future of Bay Area Earthquakes

The Big Rumble icon

October 17, 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of the Loma Prieta Earthquake. A panel of experts will reflect on what happened in 1989, the likely impact of future Bay Area earthquakes, progress in earthquake science and engineering, how the Bay Area can become more earthquake resilient, and earthquake preparedness.

Event Details

Reflect. Honor. Prepare. Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the Loma Prieta Earthquake

City of Oakland icon

REFLECT on Oakland’s Progress since 1989 to prepare for disasters; HONOR those who lost their lives and the many heroes who risked their lives to save them; PREPARE for the next earthquake or major disaster.

Event Details | Download Flyer (Adobe .pdf)

Retrofit Projects Completed since the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake

Peer logo

Earthquakeretrofit.org is a community mapping project that helps answer the question, “How have we reduced our earthquake risk in the 20 years since the Loma Prieta earthquake?” Anyone can add points to the map: homeowners, property managers, contractors, architects, engineers, or anyone willing to post their project. As more points are added, we might see trends in project location or type: Does one city have more retrofits than its neighbors? Were more homes retrofit than offices, or vice versa?

But mostly this site is about showing and sharing our progress since Loma Prieta. It’s an experiment in community mapping, and its success depends on you. We hope you’ll contribute as many points as you know about, and visit again to see the map evolve.

Although we’re counting on users to contribute data that is complete and correct, this map should not be interpreted as a scientific sampling of retrofit projects.

Event Details

The Marvelous Marina: From Pond to Palaces to Phoenix by the Bay

An evening recounting the storied past of the Marina District and its survival during and after the Loma Prieta earthquake.

Event Details

Disaster Readiness Summit 2009

The Big Rumble icon Invest one day at Disaster Readiness Summit 2009 and walk away with new contacts, expert information and practical resources you can use to help your organization — and your community — get ready for disaster. For Bay Area businesses, schools, government agencies and nonprofit organizations.

Loma Prieta Earthquake Commemorative Symposium

Peer logo

This full-day commemorative event on October 17, 2009 in San Francisco highlights lessons learned from the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, accomplishments in the 20 years since the earthquake, and future initiatives that will continue to make our cities and built environment safer from earthquakes.

The Symposium is intended for technically oriented individuals and organizations involved with or interested in earthquake hazard reduction. As such, it is particularly well suited for professional engineers, architects and planners, researchers and students, government (federal, state, county and city) officials, specialists involved with developing or implementing emergency response and recovery plans, building owners, developers and managers, and etc. The meeting may also be of interest to the general public.

Download Flyer (Adobe .pdf)

City of Santa Cruz

City of Santa Cruz logo

Community gathering on October 17, 2009 to mark the Loma Prieta anniversary, acknowledging its impact on residents’ lives, the extraordinary response of emergency personnel and community members, and the rebuilding of our downtown.

On October 15, 2009, learn about the latest emergency plans for this area, how local agencies will respond, why YOU need to be prepared, and what you can do. This forum is suited to all businesses, residents and community groups.

Santa Cruz Downtown Association

Santa Cruz Downtown Association logo

Annual dinner of the Santa Cruz Downtown Association marks the 20th anniversary of the devastating Loma Prieta earthquake with a program celebrating the rebuilding and revival of downtown.

Sandy Lydon, Historian Emeritus at Cabrillo College, will provide a slide-illustrated history of the numerous natural disasters that have struck Santa Cruz County since the earliest settlements, putting the Loma Prieta Earthquake in perspective.

Santa Cruz ShakeOut—Dangers In Paradise

Dangers in Paradise logo

Santa Cruz ShakeOut—Dangers In Paradise is a four-day event beginning October 15 that will feature a preparedness fair and a discussion led by local historian Sandy Lydon, who will talk about various disasters the county has faced over the years. Activities being developed to acknowledge the 20th Anniversary of the Loma Prieta Earthquake include:

  • The ShakeOut Drill
  • Lecture by Cabrillo College Adjunct Professor Sandy Lydon
  • Preparedness Fair & CERT Muster
  • Walking Tour of Loma Prieta Epicenter

Public Lecture

Jack Boatwright

The Loma Prieta Earthquake Turns 20: What We Have Learned from Seismology, Engineering, and Politics?

Speaker: Dr. Jack Boatwright, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park

Event Details

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