On October 17, 1989, the Loma Prieta earthquake struck. It lasted a very long 20 seconds, and after it was over the Bay Area was heavily damaged. Sixty-three people died, more than 3,700 were injured, and the damage was pretty mind-blowing. In remembrance of 25th anniversary of Loma Prieta, take a look back at what sites in San Francisco looked like just days after the quake, compared with the same places today.
The Marina got rocked the hardest in SF, what with being built on landfill of sand and waste. Four buildings were destroyed by fire, seven collapsed, and 63 were damaged so badly they were judged too dangerous to live in. At Fillmore and Bay, this apartment building was completely rebuilt.
At Beach and Divisadero, many of the corner buildings were damaged beyond repair. They've since been replaced with new construction.
Another view of Beach and Divisadero.
Divisadero and Jefferson saw the same level of damage.
Down in SoMa at Sixth and Bluxome Streets, the brick facade fell off a building, killing five people who were leaving work. The brick building has since been torn down for new condos.
A massive landslide at Fort Funston displaced 3,700 cubic yards of sand and dirt.
One of the biggest devastations was the collapse of the Cypress Viaduct in Oakland. The upper tier collapsed onto the lower tier, killing 42 people. It has since been replaced by Mandela Parkway with a public park within the wide median.
· San Francisco Earthquake History 1915-1989 [Museum of SF]
· Cypress Structure [Oakland Wiki]
· Bay Area Marks 25 Years Since Loma Prieta Earthquake; Watch Coverage From 1989 [CBS]
· Loma Prieta 25 Years Later: Harrowing CHP Footage Of Cypress Freeway And Bay Bridge Rescues [SFist]
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