Earthquake of Napa

"Losses From California Quake Could Top $1 Billion"

By: Quentin Hardy and Ian Lovett

Source: The New York Times 

<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/25/us/strong-earthquake-shakes-bay-area-in-california.html?ref=us&_r=0>

August 24, early Sunday morning, struck the 6.0 earthquake at 3:20 a.m. in the San Francisco Bay Area. With the earthquake came suffering, destruction, and injuries. Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency. He directed state resources toward a recovery effort in Napa. The earthquake destroyed homes, ruptured dozens of water and gas mains and caused injuries to more than 100 people. Luckily, the injuries were mostly minor. About 120 people were taken to the hospital. Vanessa deGier, a hospital spokeswoman, said, "Most of the injuries were minor lacerations or abrasions caused by falling debris. But three patients were in critical condition, including a child who had been crushed by a falling fireplace."(page 1).  No deaths had been confirmed since Sunday night.

The United States Geological Survey estimates about $1 billion of damage. However, scientists said it could have been worse since back in 1906 during the San Francisco earthquake, the tremor was about 500 times larger than Sunday’s temblor. “It is truly small compared to what California has experienced in its recorded history,” said Ross S. Stein, a geophysicist at the United States Geological Survey (page 1). Even though it was geologically small, the earthquake unleashed a lot of chaos in many parts of the Napa Valley and cost a lot of money. Because a water main was ruptured from the earthquake, however, firefighters were trying but were unable to connect to the hydrant to fight the fires. They had to bring in water from other places.