Earthquake Injury Epidemiology and Building Damage from the October 17, 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake: County of Santa Cruz

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This project addresses lessons that can be learned from the October 17, 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. In most natural disasters, there is significant direct impact on human populations: specifically injuries and death result from the hazard itself, or as a result of the particular hazard's effect on the infrastructure. While advances in engineering have certainly lessened this impact over the past several decades, there are still many unanswered questions as to the precise cause and severity of injuries occurring during natural disasters. By applying techniques developed in the relatively new field of earthquake injury epidemiology, the research described in this proposal will enable a detailed epidemiologic study to be made of the injuries resulting from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in the County of Santa Cruz. Preliminary quick-response field reconnaissance - already performed - coupled with comprehensive follow-up data collection and interviews will enable a detailed accounting of all the injuries in the County resulting from the earthquake. This information will be of significant use for earthquake preparedness and hazard mitigation activities. In addition, collection of the data will enable the testing of the research methodology for application in future events.