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Rights Holder and Contact
California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
Date of Copyright
1990-01-04
Description
In the wake of the October 17, 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, Caltrans commissioned an oral history project to document the personal and professional experiences of Caltrans employees who worked to restore the State's damaged transportation system. At the time of the Loma Prieta Earthquake, Tom Hafley was a retired Maintenance Superintendent III for Caltrans. He was on vacation in Porterville, CA getting ready to watch the World Series, and then seeing the Bay Bridge Collapse and the Cypress Street viaduct collapse his family decided the next day to drive home to Foster City. After checking his house and family members on the 20th of October he called the Caltrans Foster City office to see if they needed assistance. Foster City thanked him for the offer, but they did not need his assistance. An hour later, Jerry Hauke from the District 4 office on 150 Oak Street asked him to come to work. Once Hafley arrived, he was put to work answering four phones which rang constantly, until 2 AM in the morning, when Hafley went to take a nap. His primary duties were to update the panel board of which routes were closed, down or open and if the structural engineers had examined the structures or not. Hafley also ordered lumber, cable, barriers and hard hats and vests to keep the operation to restore the transportation system. Later, as things were no longer in immediate crisis Hafley arranged tours of damaged Cypress and Bay Bridge for the Mayor, Governor’s office, FEMA, and FHWA. Hafley also inspected damage at Highway 17 and Sturve Slough Bridge collapse and worked with FEMA to have Caltrans grade some land in Watsonville for a trailer park. California Audiovisual Preservation Project
Type
sound
Format
Original Audio cassette
Form/Genre
Oral histories
Extent
1 Tape of 1
Identifier
casadt_000108
Language
English
Subject
Earthquakes--California--Loma Prieta Loma Prieta Earthquake, Calif., 1989
Provenance
California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) California Revealed is supported by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.
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