The 1933 Long Beach earthquake took place on March 10 at 5:54 P.M. PST south of downtown Los Angeles. The epicenter was offshore, southeast of Long Beach, California, on the Newport-Inglewood Fault. The earthquake had a moment magnitude of 6.4 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). Damage to buildings was widespread throughout Southern California. An estimated forty million dollars' worth of property damage resulted, and 115 to 120 fatalities. The majority of the fatalities resulted from people running out of buildings exposing themselves to the falling debris.
Video 1933 Long Beach earthquake
Damage
The major damage occurred in the densely-populated city of Long Beach on the south-facing coast of Los Angeles County. However, the damage was also found to have extended to the industrial area south of downtown Los Angeles. The magnitude of the earthquake is considered to be medium but a significant amount of damage was left due to unfavorable geological conditions (landfill, water-soaked alluvium) combined with poorly constructed buildings. In Long Beach, buildings collapsed, water tanks fell through roofs, and houses were tossed off their foundations. School buildings were among the structures that incurred the most severe damage.
Maps 1933 Long Beach earthquake
Aftermath
The earthquake highlighted the need for earthquake-resistant design for structures in California. Many school buildings were damaged, with more than 230 school buildings that either were destroyed, suffered major damage, or were judged unsafe to occupy. The California State Legislature passed the Field Act on April 10, 1933, mandating that school buildings must be earthquake-resistant. If the earthquake had occurred during school hours, the death toll would have been much higher.
This earthquake prompted the government to play an active role in disaster relief. The government created The Reconstruction Finance Corporation, providing loans for the reconstruction of buildings that were affected during the natural disaster. The Bureau of Public Roads also took action to rebuild roads, highways, and bridges. The economy of Long Beach was able to return to normal swiftly because of the rise of the aircraft industry. To support the World War II efforts, Long Beach created naval yards and increased the number of aircraft produced. This directly helped Long Beach repair and stabilize the economy after the disaster.
See also
- List of earthquakes in 1933
- List of earthquakes in California
- List of earthquakes in the United States
References
External links
- USGS Historical Earthquakes - Long Beach, California - United States Geological Survey
- 75th Anniversary of the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake - California Department of Conservation
- National Information Service on Earthquake engineering page about Long Beach earthquake - National Information Service for Earthquake Engineering
- Catastrophe: A Bad One - Time
- Long Beach Earthquake: March 10, 1933 Cloyd E. Louis - Internet Archive
- The International Seismological Centre has a bibliography and authoritative data for this event.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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