San Franciscans gathered at the Marina Green on Saturday to remember the Loma Prieta earthquake on the 20th Anniversary of the disaster and to get ready for when the next big earthquake strikes.

The event was called the Big Rumble and was part of a weeklong series of events meant to prepare San Francisco residents for natural disasters. Some people came to enjoy the live music and visit the vendor's booths but most came to participate in the free emergency training drills conducted by the Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT).

NERT is a San Francisco Fire Department program that was formed after the Loma Prieta earthquake. They train everyday citizens how to properly assist professional rescue personnel when a serious disaster occurs.

"After a serious catastrophic disaster NERT members are taught to take care of themselves, to check on their family members and their immediate neighbors, and then go to their neighborhood NERT staging area," said Edie Schaffer, the NERT coordinator chair. "The staging area is where NERTs gather and send out their field teams to do damage assessment and search and rescue in moderately damaged buildings."

The San Francisco Fire Department and NERT suggests all San Francisco residents have disaster supply kits in their home, workplace and car. The kits should include:

• One gallon of water for each person the kit serves. There should be enough water to last 3 to 5 days.


• A 3 to 5 day food supply. The food should be easy to store, require little or no cooking, and have a shelf live of a year or more.


• A warm and comfortable change of clothes, stored in an area where it can remain dry and clean.


• A stock of safety supplies including a flashlight, candles and matches, a portable radio with extra batteries, duct tape, a small tool kit and a fire extinguisher.


• General supplies including plastic bags, cash, pencil and paper, maps, extra keys, ID cards, emergency contact information and insurance information.


• A first aid kit with medications, bandages, extra eyeglasses and a list of area doctors.

The Loma Prieta Earthquake struck in the early evening on Oct. 17, 1989. It caused 63 deaths, 3,757 injuries, and almost $10 billion in property damage, according to the Big Rumble organizers.

The Marina/Cow Hollow neighborhood suffered severe damage in the earthquake. Many buildings collapsed and a large fire destroyed homes on the corner of Divisadero and Beach Streets, according to Joesph Alioto, the event captain.

Alioto recalls being at the famed 1989 World Series game between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland A's when the earthquake struck. He said it took him hours to even leave the parking lot at Candlestick Park before he returned home to the Marina to find his house on fire.

"You had residents stepping up to the plate, pulling these five inch hoses and helping out the firefighters," he said. "It was really something amazing to see."

San Francisco residents can learn more about how to be prepared for natural disasters from the Department of Emergency Management or 72hours.org.

Podcast featuring short stories about where people were during the '89 Earthquake produced by Lindsey Leake and Maria Umanzor. Contact them at lleake@sfsu.edu and mumanzor@sfsu.edu.