Earthqakes are dynamic laboratories for learning and catalysts for building capacity for disaster-intelligent & disaster-resilient communites. Presentation courtesy of Dr Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction

1. CALIFORNIA’S FAULTS
(SOURCE: CA. GEOL. SURVEY)

2. LESSONS FROM PAST
NOTABLE EARTHQUAKES

3. PAST NOTABLE
EARTHQUAKES
LOMA PRIETA, CALIFORNIA
OCTOBER 17, 1989

4. EARTHQAKES ARE DYNAMIC
LABORATORIES FOR
LEARNING AND CATALYSTS
FOR BUILDING CAPACITY
FOR DISASTER-INTELLIGENT
& DISASTER-RESILIENT
COMMUNITES

5. LOCATION
 The epicenter was located near
Loma Prieta peak in the Santa
Cruz Mountains, approximately
14 km (9 mi) northeast of Santa
Cruz and 96 km (60 mi) south-
southeast of San Francisco

6. OCCURRENCE

7. CALIFORNIA’S FAULTS
(SOURCE: CA. GEOL. SURVEY)

8. The Loma Prieta Earthquake was
Forecast (USGS, 1988)

9. Schematic Diagram of the Loma
Prieta Earthquake Mechanism
WEST NORTH

10. Schematic Diagram of the
Earthquake Rupture
WEST NORTH

11. Mw 6.9; Ms 7.1
Depth: 18 km (11 miles)
5:04 pm local time
Soil amplification effects in
San Francisco Bay region

12. SAN FRANCISCO BAY
REGION (EPICENTER: TOP LEFT)

13. SOIL AMPLIFICATION MAP: SAN
FRANCISCO BAY REGION

14. CAUSES OF DAMAGE
CAUSES OF DAMAGE
INADEQUATE RESISTANCE TO HORIZONTAL
GROUND SHAKING
SOIL AMPLIFICATION
PERMANENT DISPLACEMENT
(SURFACE FAULTING &
GROUND FAILURE)
IRREGULARITIES IN ELEVATION
EARTHQUAKES AND PLAN
EARTHQUAKES
“DISASTER FIRE FOLLOWING RUPTURE OF
“DISASTER
LABORATORIES”
LABORATORIES” UTILITIES
LACK OF DETAILING AND
CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS
INATTENTION TO NON-
STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS

15. IMPACTS
BUILDINGS

16. SAN FRANCISCO BAY
REGION
 Buildings and infrastructure of
all types and ages, constructed
in accordance with various
codes/standards, FAILED in
the San Francisco Bay Region.

17. LESSONS LEARNED FOR
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 ALL NOTABLE
EARTHQUAKES
 PREPAREDNESS
PLANNING FOR
THE INEVITABLE
STRONG GROUND
MOTION IS
ESSENTIAL FOR
COMMUNITY
RESILIENCE.

18. LESSONS LEARNED FOR
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 ALL NOTABLE
EARTHQUAKES
 PROTECTION OF
BUILDINGS AND
INFRASTRUCTURE
IS ESSENTIAL
FOR COMMUNITY
RESILIENCE.

19. PROBABILISTIC MAPS OF PEAK
GROUND ACCELERATION (PGA)
AND SPECTRAL ACCELERATION
(SA) ARE BASIC TOOLS USED IN
BUILDING CODES AND
INFRASTRUCTURE STANDARDS

20. GROUND SHAKING (PEAK
GROUND ACCELERATION)

21. GROUND SHAKING WESTERN
USA

22. PGA: SAN FRANCISCO BAY
REGION

23. SA 0.3 S: SAN FRANCISCO
BAY REGION (SHORT BLDGS.)

24. SA 1.0 S: SAN FRANCISCO
BAY REGION (TALL BLDGS,)

25. LOMA PRIETA EARTHQUAKE
 1,300 BUILDINGS
DESTROYED
 20,000 BUILDINGS
DAMAGED
 3,500 BUSINESSES
DAMAGED
 TRANSPORTATION
LOSSES ALONE: $1.8
BILLION

26. VULNERABLE UNREINFORCED
MASONRY BUILDINGS

27. VULNERABLE UNREINFORCED
MASONRY BUILDINGS

28. VULNERABLE SOFT-STORY
BUILDINGS: MARINA DISTRICT

29. LESSONS LEARNED FOR
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 ALL NOTABLE
EARTHQUAKES
 PREPAREDNESS
PLANNING FOR
THE INEVITABLE
GROUND FAILURE
IS ESSENTIAL
FOR COMMUNITY
RESILIENCE.

30. GROUND FAILURE, NOT
SURFACE FAULT RUPTURE

31. LATERAL SPREADING: SAN
FRANCISCO WHARF AREA

32. LIQUEFACTION: MARINA
DISTRICT

33. AS IN 1906, FIRE BEGAN IN THE
MARINA DISTRICT

34. CYPRESS FREEWAY: A
PROTECTION NIGHTMARE

35. FAILURE OF A SPAN ON THE OAKLAND BAY
BRIDGE: A COMMUTER’S NIGHTMARE

36. LESSONS LEARNED FOR
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 ALL NOTABLE
EARTHQUAKES
 CAPACITY FOR
EMERGENCY
RESPONSE IS
ESSENTIAL FOR
COMMUNITY
RESILIENCE.

37. POWER OUTAGES BEGAN AT
5:04 PM IN THE REGION

38. CYPRESS FREEWAY COLLAPSE: AN
EMERGENCY RESPONSE NIGHTMARE

39. FORTY-ONE VICTIMS AT THE
CYPRESS FREEWAY

40. FIRE IN MARINA DISTRICT 100
KM FROM EPICENTER

41. LESSONS LEARNED FOR
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 ALL NOTABLE
EARTHQUAKES
 CAPACITY FOR
RECOVERY AND
RECONSTRUCTION
IS ESSENTIAL FOR
COMMUNITY
RESILIENCE.

42. RESTORATION OF WIDESPREAD
POWER OUTAGES TOOK TIME

43. RESTORATION OF TRANSPORTATION
ON CYPRESS FREEWAY TOOK TIME

44. RESTORATION OF TRANSPORTATION ON
OAKLAND BAY BRIDGE TOOK TIME

45. EARTHQUAKE INSURANCE WAS A
TOOL FOR RECOVERY
 EARTHQUAKE
INSURANCE
SPREADS THE
RISK AND SPEEDS
RECOVERY BY
FACILITATING THE
“RESTORATION TO
NORMAL”

46. PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE
 A NEW GENERATION OF POLICIES AND
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICES FOR
SITING, DESIGN, AND CONSTRUCTION
IN CALIFORNIA AND OTHER
EARTHQUAKE PRONE REGIONS OF
THE USA.

47. SAN FRANCISCO AIRPORT:
BASE ISOLATION

48. SAN FRANCISCO CITY HALL:
BASE ISOLATION

49. SUMMARY OF IMPACTS
 62 DEATHS (Mostly at Cypress Freeway)
 3,757 INJURIES
 8,000 HOMELESS
 $5.6 BILLION PROPERTY DAMAGE WITH
THE FIRST $1.8 BILLION EARTHQUAKE
INSURANCE INDEMNIFICATION
 MAJOR FLAWS IN PROTECTION OF
TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE

50. PRIMARY SOURCES OF
INFORMATION ON THE LOMA
PRIETA EARTHQUAKE ARE: 1)
The US Geological Survey, 2)
The California Geological Survey,
and 3) the Earthquake Engineering
Research Institute