San Francisco's emergency plan for fire-fighting water nearly failed, since most of the fireboats required to pump water out of the Bay had long ago been sent to the junkyard. Liquefaction Liquefaction is a ubiquitous phenomenon in wet soils when earthquake shaking occurs. Wet soils, particularly those made of artificial fill, have a substantial pore volume, largely filled with water. However, the grain to grain contacts provide the soil with its cohesion. It loses all strength, and often is seen with large amplitude waves running over the surface.
Buildings tip over on their foundations.
Read the Web article on liquefaction in the desert for an excellent explanation. The Loma Prieta earthquake was one of the costliest natural disasters in US history. It was not, however, a public calamity. In the years leading up to the Loma Prieta earthquake, a number of programs and measures designed to mitigate against the hazard of a large earthquake had been put in place. However, general public inattention to such issues has meant that implementation is spotty and inconsistent, particularly where local governments were expected to finance and carry out mitigation measures.