Publications > Earthquakes
Throwback Thursday: VHS footage from 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake Investigation
How’s this for a serious Throwback Thursday – more than 30 years ago, following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, Interactive Resources was enlisted on an emergency basis to evaluate the condition of Candlestick Park, which was hosting the third game of the World Series during the tremor. We recently found and converted a VHS tape of the news coverage of our investigation to digital, and for the first time in the era of social media can share this footage, including interviews with our founder and president Tom Butt and founder John Clinton (if you can’t wait, skip to 5:44 to see Tom!). Read More
Loma Prieta 30 Years Later
Candlestick Park in the forefront of this aerial of San Francisco, California, taken by Carol M. Highsmith
October 17, 1989, I was in my Point Richmond office talking to a client in a high rise in San Francisco. All of a sudden, he yelled, “holy shit,” and I heard crashing in the background (It was his bookcases falling over). The phone went dead. A few seconds later, it hit our building, and we all spilled out into the street.
Later, we climbed to the top of Nicholl Knob where we could see the Marina District of San Francisco burning and the collapsed section of the Bay Bridge. I thought it looked like 1906 all over again.
I was in the office at daylight the next morning when I got the call from the head of the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department. “How soon can you get your engineers over here?” he asked. Read More
Later, we climbed to the top of Nicholl Knob where we could see the Marina District of San Francisco burning and the collapsed section of the Bay Bridge. I thought it looked like 1906 all over again.
I was in the office at daylight the next morning when I got the call from the head of the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department. “How soon can you get your engineers over here?” he asked. Read More
Coping with Building Disasters & Failures
Loma Prieta, California, Earthquake October 17, 1989. CC-ND
In this article, Thomas K. Butt, FAIA, offers constructive suggestions for building owners who want to be prepared for the unexpected, and proven techniques for reducing the recovery time following natural disaster or building failure. These helpful tips on preparing maintenance manuals and disaster reaction plans can also reduce operating costs and provide building owners with more efficient management throughout the life of the building. Providing such resources in the care of buildings could save substantial sums in ongoing maintenance costs and could make the difference between financial ruin and successful recovery when disaster strikes.
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