Upcoming anniversary of 7.1 temblor marks county’s worst
disaster
Though it has been nearly 20 years since the Loma Prieta
earthquake, the shaking from the 7.1 temblor still reverberates in
Hollister, if only in people’s memories.
Upcoming anniversary of 7.1 temblor marks county’s worst disaster
Though it has been nearly 20 years since the Loma Prieta earthquake, the shaking from the 7.1 temblor still reverberates in Hollister, if only in people’s memories.
At 5:03 p.m. on Oct. 17, 1989, many residents were settling in to watch the San Francisco Giants face off against the Oakland A’s in the World Series on a pleasant, sunny autumn evening. One minute later, a 7.1 earthquake shook the town, throwing homes from their foundation, crumbling building facades into the streets of downtown and causing an estimated $100 million worth of damage.
Amazingly, no one was killed in San Benito County as a result of the shaker and only four people were hospitalized with injuries. The impact to structures wasn’t so minor.
Businesses impacted
Hundreds of homes reported damage, but downtown Hollister’s unreinforced masonry buildings, built primarily of brick and mortar, were the worst off. The face of the Odd Fellow’s Hall on Fourth Street, which housed Rovella’s Gym and Caputo Printing, crumbled into the street, strewing bricks into the roadway and crushing four vehicles.
Borges Photography on Fifth Street lost its building face as well, signaling the end of that business. Eleven commercial buildings suffered major damage and some 25 businesses never returned to the storefronts they occupied before the great shaker.
In the aftermath of the quake, broken water lines flooded downtown streets and residents were told to boil any water they used as aftershocks continued to rattle nerves. Homes were knocked off foundations, chimneys crumbled and some residents were without power for two days.
Worried friends and relatives outside the county waited hours or even days before reaching their loved ones as media reports focused on the damage in and around San Francisco and telephone circuits were overloaded.
Dunne Park hosted a soup kitchen for residents who couldn’t cook after reports of gas leaks. The American Red Cross set up a disaster relief shelter at San Andreas High School, hosting hundreds of people.
Schools escape extensive damage
The newly-constructed Mattson Gym at San Benito High School received minor damage and most schools in the county reported cosmetic damage. Sporting events were delayed and many schools remained closed for a few days until utilities went back online.
Tourist draw
In the days following the Loma Prieta quake, a number of residents strolled the streets to survey the damage. Spectators lined up behind police tape to watch the demolition of the Odd Fellows Hall on Fourth Street and others watched as Governor George Deukmejian toured the hardest hit areas of downtown.
A two-block area of San Benito Street was cordoned off to all foot and vehicular traffic as damage assessments and cleanup continued in the week after the quake.
Within a couple days of the quake, the California Highway Patrol reopened the entries to Hollister, such as Hwys. 25, 101, 152 and 156. In the aftermath of the quake, barricades were erected so that only residents or business owners could access the area.
Media coverage
While most national media attention focused on San Francisco immediately following the quake, Hollister Mayor Dean Hallberg was interviewed by ABC for a story that ran on the ABC Evening News with Peter Jennings. Supervisor Mike Graves taped an interview that ran on NBC’s Today show and CNN ran a clip showing volleyball players running from San Benito High School’s gym during the quake.
Fears that church would be lost
Parishioners feared the worst when the century-old Sacred Heart Church building at College and Fifth streets was reported to have suffered serious structural damage during the earthquake.
Shortly after the quake, the Free Lance reported that the structure may not be salvageable after it had “one of its stained glass windows shattered, statues beheaded and an altar splintered to pieces when the building apparently slid off its foundation.”
Further structural inspections of the church eased concerns and ultimately did not require demolition.
Sporadic damage
While many homes and businesses suffered irreparable damage in the Loma Prieta quake, others survived virtually unscathed. As power and water outages continued downtown in the immediate aftermath of the quake, some neighborhoods had functioning utilities.
Deputy Police Chief Joe Daughenbaugh asked residents to conserve water by not watering their lawns. San Benito County Undersheriff Curtis Hill reported little damage occurred in the rural areas of the county.
As some business owners assessed the damage to their stores, others worked alongside employees to restock shelves and set up makeshift displays of items for sale in sidewalks and parking lots.
Within hours of the temblor, K&S Market – located at the current site of Safeway at Nash Road and Airline Highway – set up portable tables to sell necessities such as bottled water, matches, milk and baby formula. The store used a generator to provide power as employees boarded up shattered windows and picked up merchandise that was thrown into the aisles.
In San Juan Bautista, the city’s police reserves patrolled the streets and volunteer firefighters remained at the ready to deal with damage. Several storefront windows were shattered and electricity was lost, but Mom & Pops Bar and Daisy’s Saloon welcomed patrons to have a drink by candlelight.
An eerie aftermath
As residents evaluated the greatest natural disaster in the history of San Benito County, the Free Lance reported that on the evening of the great quake, most of the city slept as “an eerie darkness, quiet with no wind, blanketed Hollister.”
Not knowing when or if the next quake would come, many families “slept in their driveways on sleeping bags, pillows or just sheets, afraid to go back into their homes.”
