Comments on: Twenty Years Ago -- The "Big One" Of '89 http://www.chrisweigant.com/2009/10/15/twenty-years-ago-the-big-one-of-89/ Reality-based political commentary Fri, 15 May 2026 16:56:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Osborne Ink http://www.chrisweigant.com/2009/10/15/twenty-years-ago-the-big-one-of-89/#comment-6353 Osborne Ink Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:19:24 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/index.php/2009/10/15/twenty-years-ago-the-big-one-of-89/#comment-6353 I remember seeing Al Michaels go wide-eyed and fall out of his chair. I remember the blimp shots. That summer, we'd had a 4.1 centered about halfway between Florence and Memphis. Just a brief moment of being shoved sideways, and it was over. When I lived in California, my cat would wake me up after every temblor, so I never had a chance to get used to them. I remember seeing Al Michaels go wide-eyed and fall out of his chair. I remember the blimp shots. That summer, we'd had a 4.1 centered about halfway between Florence and Memphis. Just a brief moment of being shoved sideways, and it was over.

When I lived in California, my cat would wake me up after every temblor, so I never had a chance to get used to them.

]]> By: Chris Weigant http://www.chrisweigant.com/2009/10/15/twenty-years-ago-the-big-one-of-89/#comment-6343 Chris Weigant Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:20:55 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/index.php/2009/10/15/twenty-years-ago-the-big-one-of-89/#comment-6343 nypoet22 - I was wondering if anyone would notice I used the phrase "give 110 percent" two days in a row... heh heh. BashiBazouk - Aha! A fellow survivor! Yeah, the stories I heard from friends in Santa Cruz were pretty frightening. I was down there around the time President Bush (or was it Dan Quayle? I forget) visited the town, a few days after I think. Downtown was still fenced in, and they hadn't even begun cleaning it up. Pacific Garden Mall has never been the same, that's for sure. And wasn't route 17 closed for like a month as well? Didn't they repave the whole thing, because of all the cracks? I lived in SF at the time, but as I said, I had friends down there. Glad to hear you made it OK, too. Doesn't really seem like 20 years... -CW nypoet22 -

I was wondering if anyone would notice I used the phrase "give 110 percent" two days in a row...

heh heh.

BashiBazouk -

Aha! A fellow survivor!

Yeah, the stories I heard from friends in Santa Cruz were pretty frightening. I was down there around the time President Bush (or was it Dan Quayle? I forget) visited the town, a few days after I think. Downtown was still fenced in, and they hadn't even begun cleaning it up. Pacific Garden Mall has never been the same, that's for sure. And wasn't route 17 closed for like a month as well? Didn't they repave the whole thing, because of all the cracks? I lived in SF at the time, but as I said, I had friends down there. Glad to hear you made it OK, too. Doesn't really seem like 20 years...

-CW

]]> By: BashiBazouk http://www.chrisweigant.com/2009/10/15/twenty-years-ago-the-big-one-of-89/#comment-6342 BashiBazouk Fri, 16 Oct 2009 02:21:19 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/index.php/2009/10/15/twenty-years-ago-the-big-one-of-89/#comment-6342 Ah yes. The Loma Prieta Quake. What a fun three weeks it was. I was on the Santa Cruz Mall finishing up a day of work, had the pre-game on to catch the first inning or so before going home. Then all hell broke loose. I was on the top of a very steep ladder like stair case which I pretty much slid down. Turned a corner and had a pile of flat but light boxes fall on me as I ran toward the exit door. Later I found that a full roll of butcher paper had fallen from where the ladder went to and must have narrowly missed me. By the time I got outside the quake was over. I was talking to some passer by about the quake when something I will never forget happened. A motorcyclist pulled up to one of the parking spaces in front of where I worked. He pulled off his helmet and with huge wild eyes just stepped back from his bike with a "holy crap" expression. Trying to ride a motorcycle during a 6.9 or so quake is a harrowing experience, according to him. I went back in and cleaned up a water cooler that had fallen over and broken in to many pieces (the pottery kind). Then grabbed my camera and wandered down the mall to check out and photograph the damage. I was lucky that I did. The mall was closed down and fenced off mere hours later for a solid three weeks. The Santa Cruz mall is a main street with wide sidewalks and lots of shops. Not the indoor kind you think about when one hears "mall". The damage on the mall looked bad but nothing compared to what it looked like later when all the structurally unsound buildings were leveled. Two years before, there had been a push to require everyone to retrofit their buildings to survive earthquakes. This was shot down by business owners and landlords alike as being too expensive. In retrospect: D'oh! I then went off in search of my girlfriend at the time who was on the other side of town. Being a dedicated cyclist in those days, getting across town was easy. I found her, made it to a house of a family member and ate and drank and talked in to the night by candle light as the power was off and would remain so for some time. As a early twenty something, I could not even get to the building I worked in with the mall being closed and fenced off. Being October and an indian summer too boot, I did what any self respecting twenty something would do, I partied, hung out with friends and family and seriously enjoyed the sudden lack of responsibility that only a disaster could bring. Good times. Ah yes. The Loma Prieta Quake. What a fun three weeks it was. I was on the Santa Cruz Mall finishing up a day of work, had the pre-game on to catch the first inning or so before going home. Then all hell broke loose. I was on the top of a very steep ladder like stair case which I pretty much slid down. Turned a corner and had a pile of flat but light boxes fall on me as I ran toward the exit door. Later I found that a full roll of butcher paper had fallen from where the ladder went to and must have narrowly missed me.

By the time I got outside the quake was over. I was talking to some passer by about the quake when something I will never forget happened. A motorcyclist pulled up to one of the parking spaces in front of where I worked. He pulled off his helmet and with huge wild eyes just stepped back from his bike with a "holy crap" expression. Trying to ride a motorcycle during a 6.9 or so quake is a harrowing experience, according to him.

I went back in and cleaned up a water cooler that had fallen over and broken in to many pieces (the pottery kind). Then grabbed my camera and wandered down the mall to check out and photograph the damage. I was lucky that I did. The mall was closed down and fenced off mere hours later for a solid three weeks. The Santa Cruz mall is a main street with wide sidewalks and lots of shops. Not the indoor kind you think about when one hears "mall". The damage on the mall looked bad but nothing compared to what it looked like later when all the structurally unsound buildings were leveled.

Two years before, there had been a push to require everyone to retrofit their buildings to survive earthquakes. This was shot down by business owners and landlords alike as being too expensive. In retrospect: D'oh!

I then went off in search of my girlfriend at the time who was on the other side of town. Being a dedicated cyclist in those days, getting across town was easy. I found her, made it to a house of a family member and ate and drank and talked in to the night by candle light as the power was off and would remain so for some time.

As a early twenty something, I could not even get to the building I worked in with the mall being closed and fenced off. Being October and an indian summer too boot, I did what any self respecting twenty something would do, I partied, hung out with friends and family and seriously enjoyed the sudden lack of responsibility that only a disaster could bring.

Good times.

]]> By: nypoet22 http://www.chrisweigant.com/2009/10/15/twenty-years-ago-the-big-one-of-89/#comment-6341 nypoet22 Fri, 16 Oct 2009 01:41:47 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/index.php/2009/10/15/twenty-years-ago-the-big-one-of-89/#comment-6341 first football, now baseball, all in the same week. dare i ask what's on the mind of our esteemed moderator? first football, now baseball, all in the same week. dare i ask what's on the mind of our esteemed moderator?

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