On October 17, 1989, the 7.1 magnitude Loma Prieta Earthquake tore through the San Francisco Bay Area in just 15 seconds. Roads buckled, buildings collapsed, fires spread through the Marina District, and sections of the Cypress Freeway and Bay Bridge failed as survivors and rescue crews faced unstable structures, gas leaks, broken water systems, and the threat of aftershocks.
This documentary follows the disaster through the eyes of firefighters, engineers, eyewitnesses, and survivors in San Francisco, Oakland, Santa Cruz, and the Bay Area. From trapped motorists beneath the Cypress Street Freeway to the fireboat Phoenix fighting flames with saltwater, it reveals how split-second decisions, structural failures, and emergency response shaped one of California’s most devastating earthquakes.
Documentary: When Nature Strikes - Loma Prieta Earthquake
Production: Michael Hoff Productions (2006)
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