Accidents and Disasters

'Pandemonium' 'Screaming' and Other Earthquake Observations

I Survived the Alum Rock Quake and All I Got Was This Lousy Feeling of Imminent Doom

Oil Spill's Coast Guard Commander Uberti Replaced -- Heads Are Starting to Roll

Hayward Fault Ready to Rock the East Bay, Nerds Warn Today at Moscone

Ding-Dong! Who Is It? EARTHQUAKE! ... Could Alarm's Ring Reveal Quakes?

Why? Has a Stalker, Pt. 7

The Big One: We're Screwed!

The Big One: 29 Years in the Making

Masters of Disaster

The San Francisco Office of Emergency Services unveils its new post-apocalypse playbook

In Deep

The San Francisco Office of Emergency Services unveils its new post-apocalypse playbook

Developments in Shaky Town

Have developers killed the possibility of higher seismic standards for new high-rises?

Ready to Rumble

It's the 100-year anniversary of the 1906 earthquake. Are you a fan of all the hoopla? Take our quiz and see.

Katrina Benefits

It's the 100-year anniversary of the 1906 earthquake. Are you a fan of all the hoopla? Take our quiz and see.

Stupid White Tricks

It's often embarrassing to be a middle-class Caucasian in San Francisco. Last week it was excruciating.

The Mayor's Quake Insurance Program

Stop the presses: a column in praise of Gavin Newsom's political courage in support of the public interest

Journey to the Center of BART

BART officials scare the shit out of us; local rock legend Paul Kantner says S.F. tap water tastes like shit

A Bridge Too Weak?

A UC Berkeley professor believes the unique new Bay Bridge design is fatally flawed

Rubble With a Mortgage

What could be worse than a devasting earthquake in the Bay Area? The day after, when we all realize that no one is covered by insurance.

Fallout

How nuclear researchers handled -- and grossly mishandled -- the Cold War's most dangerous radioactive substances at a top-secret lab inside the Hunters Point Shipyard. The same shipyard the city wants to remake as San Francisco's newest neighborhood.

Seismic Punt

UC ignores its own engineering report on shoring up the Golden Bears' stadium, but the fans don't care

Earthquake!!! Twitter Gets the Scoop

As any S.F. resident who has a Twitter account may know, a magnitude 4.1 earthquake occurred near Milpitas, CA at 10:09 AM today. Having worked next to a freeway overpass in Los Angeles, we are prone to second guessing ourselves when the earth starts shaking. This morning before we could finish ou ... More >>

What Would Happen if Haiti Quake Happened Here? Actually, 2009 Report Analyzed Just That.

​Compassion evoked by the scenes of utter devastation in Haiti -- and, really, all Haiti needed was more chaos -- can quickly turn to self-interested fear for those who live and work in quake-plagued regions like our own. There are three answers to the query of what effect a magnitude 7.0 quake wo ... More >>

Dead Sea

An unpublished study shows the surprisingly lethal effects of the Cosco Busan oil spill. Why are government scientists helping the ship's owner keep it a secret?

Willie Speights, 60, Killed Hobbling on Crutches Up 101 Off-Ramp

Jim HerdState Troopers on the scene yesterday following the death of Willie Speights ​Willie Speights, a 60-year-old San Franciscan, was the man on crutches who was struck and killed by an exiting car as he wandered onto a highway off-ramp near Cesar Chavez, according to the city's Medical Examine ... More >>

Gulf Oil Spill Solution: Donated Hair? Scientist Laughs.

Don't grab those scissors yet, Phil Spector...​According to some San Francisco non-profit called Matter of Trust, donating your hair can help clean up one of the worst oil spills in United States history. The Huffington Post, and plenty of other news media outlets, have recently run straight-faced ... More >>

On Second Thought, Says Scientist, Hair Still Crummy Way to Fight Oil Spill

Nice. But not to fight an oil spill. ​Distinguished scientist Terry Hazen had to be the big, bad killjoy on a story about how local company Matter of Trust could collect your hair and use it to fight the ongoing Deep Horizon oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. "If you shaved everybody in the Unit ... More >>

Frantic Tweets About 7.0 Earthquake -- Tomorrow

​A much-retweeted "warning" of a 7.0 earthquake that will ostensibly hit Southern California tomorrow has earned a stern tweet of its own from the United States Geological Survey. You can't predict earthquakes, notes the USGS. And there's no Easter Bunny, either. Dire warnings of a massive quake a ... More >>

Will Bizarre Quake Prediction Come True?

Our past ... and future?​A self-anointed earthquake predicter's bizarre claim that Los Angeles would be rattled by a 6.0 to 7.0 temblor today has nine-odd hours to come true. At the strike of midnight, Luke Thomas of QuakePredictions.com will either become an object of reverence or revulsion. The ... More >>

Do You Need to Know About Every Last 2.0 Quake?

Now that's an earthquake! ​The search for content in today's media market is constant. So, it would seem, are the number of minor earthquakes rattling the Bay Area. Like chocolate and peanut butter, the marriage of online journalists desperately in need of material and neverending reports of piddl ... More >>

Ebisu/Hotei Donating Part of This Week's Proceeds to Japan Quake Relief

Ebisu​Another S.F. restaurant is stepping up for Japanese disaster relief. From a message on Ebisu's website: All of us are saddened and concerned to have learned about the destruction of the 8.9 magnitude earthquake which has devastated areas of Japan. Many of us and our staff have family and ... More >>

Tsunami Relief: Here Is How to Help

Help!​Images of the earthquake that devastated eastern Japan on Friday still haunt us; the death toll is rising by the day, and threats of a nuclear meltdown lingers.  Naturally, San Franciscans are flooding organizations with phone calls, curious about where and how they can help victims in ... More >>

Today: Order the Quail at Nombe, Help Japan's Quake Relief

Angela W./YelpNombe's chicken wings, a previous donation vehicle.​Another restaurant raising money for Japan quake relief: Nombe. Actually, Nombe started collecting donations last Saturday, day after the first full day of news about the tragedy broke over CNN. Co-owner Mari Takahashi says the ... More >>

Radiation Levels Monitored on Japan-California Flights

Old-school decontamination​U.S. Customs and Border Protection is monitoring radiation levels on airplanes, cargo, and passengers on flights inbound to West Coast cities from Japan, federal officials said today.In a statement, Customs and Border Protection said officials were seeking to "evaluate t ... More >>

Yoshi's S.F. Announces Japan Benefit with Anthony Brown's Asian American Jazz Orchestra

As the full scope of the Japan Earthquake disaster comes into view, everyone with a connection to Japan -- and many without one -- are pitching in to help as best they can. Count among those the San Francisco music venue and restaurant Yoshi's, whose Japan benefit event will feature live ... More >>

Japan Crisis Escalates, S.F. to Join Nation in Candlelight Vigil

It's the least we could do ​As news spread on Friday that Japan is facing a possible breach at the troubled nuclear plant, San Francisco residents and politicians decided they would show their support with a candlelight vigil Monday after sunset. Media outlets are reporting that radioactive contam ... More >>

Lyndon LaRouche Volunteers Display Obama as Hitler Signs, Did San Francisco Notice?

Barack "Hitler" Obama will destroy California via earthquakes.​We popped out of the SF Weekly offices to run into Safeway on Fourth and King Streets this afternoon, when we noticed two overly cheerful young people manning a Lyndon LaRouche table outside the grocery store. Or, to be more precise, w ... More >>

Japan Radiation Makes its Way into Milk

It does a body good ... or does it?​Before you pour that next bowl of cereal, read this: Scientists in Berkeley told reporters that indeed the radioactive plum from the disastrous nuclear leak in Japan has made its way into an American staple -- milk.The good news is that scientists said the low l ... More >>

Japanese Tsunami Debris: Will It Trash Our Beaches?

How many volunteers will this cleanup take?​There are so many alarming side effects to the Japanese nuclear leak -- tainted rainwater, polluted air samples, and let's not forget the possibility of radiation in your milk. But while we are so preoccupied with these immediate hazards, we have yet to ... More >>

Chefs Unite Dinner at Prospect Raises $42,000 for Japan Relief

Prospect/FacebookThe six-course fundraiser brought in $42,000 for efforts to rebuild Japan's hard-hit Sendai region.​Sunday's Chefs United benefit dinner at Prospect raised $42,000 for Japanese earthquake and tsunami relief, Prospect chef Ravi Kapur tells SFoodie. Some 120 guests paid $300 eac ... More >>

Dosa's Tuesdays for Tokyo

peter_r/Flickr​Trendy South Indian Dosa has joined the wave of restaurants contributing to Japanese disaster relief, with a promotion called Tuesdays for Tokyo. Dine any Tuesday in April at either the Fillmore or Valencia Street locations and 100 percent of the profits will be donated to the J ... More >>

Earthquake Hits Japan Again, No Tsunami Warning for S.F.

Another tsunami warning in Japan​Sadly, Japan was shaken again by another earthquake Thursday night, and is now under the threat of a tsunami, a month after it was devastated by an 9.0 earthquake and a tsunami that killed more than 25,000 people. Buildings as far away as Tokyo reportedly shook for ... More >>

DJ Kentaro: Show Preview

Another tsunami warning in Japan​Sadly, Japan was shaken again by another earthquake Thursday night, and is now under the threat of a tsunami, a month after it was devastated by an 9.0 earthquake and a tsunami that killed more than 25,000 people. Buildings as far away as Tokyo reportedly shook for ... More >>

Earthquake! S.F. Shaken By 3.8 Temblor on Anniversary of Big One

View Larger Map No, those vibrations weren't everyone running out of the office simultaneously to hit up the food truck. The United States Geological Survey confirmed to SF Weekly that we were moments ago hit with a temblor. And, yes, today is the 105th anniversary of The Big One. The hard-working ... More >>

The New Yorker: Chron Tech Blogger, Yobie Benjamin, Confuses Water with Industrial Poison

Dihydrogen monoxide can kill within minutes of entering a victim's lungs.​Last summer, San Francisco Chronicle citizen blogger Yobie Benjamin covered the waterfront, denouncing perceived failures in BP's oil-spill cleanup, including its penchant for using the then-controversial oil dispersant, Cor ... More >>

We Got Your Back

Dihydrogen monoxide can kill within minutes of entering a victim's lungs.​Last summer, San Francisco Chronicle citizen blogger Yobie Benjamin covered the waterfront, denouncing perceived failures in BP's oil-spill cleanup, including its penchant for using the then-controversial oil dispersant, Cor ... More >>

Ferry Building's Latest Find: Takoyanen's Grilled Octopus Balls

Luis Chung(Ta)koyanen's Tent.​Last Thursday, May 26, SFoodie visited the latest addition to the Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market, Takoyanen, a takoyaki food stand from the owners of Delica. The takoyaki street food aspect means it's fun to watch the fast chefs in action, quickly turning the batter ... More >>

Stanford Wants to Install an Earthquake Sensor on Your Computer

My sensor saw it coming. ​The bad news: The Big One is coming. The good news: At least you can measure it.  Geophysicists are looking for "citizen seismologists" in the Bay Area to install a tiny earthquake sensor in their home, classroom, or office this weekend as part of building the denses ... More >>

Twin Earthquakes Shake the Bay Area, Is the "Big One" Next?

You thought yesterday's quakes were scary ... ​Two nearly identical quakes along the Hayward fault jolted the Bay Area yesterday, which naturally has everyone thinking, "Is this foreshadowing the Big One?"A 3.9 magnitude earthquake shook the East Bay at about 2:41 p.m. yesterday. No damages were r ... More >>

Another Earthquake Rocks the East Bay

That's kinda what it felt like ​It's been a tough week to try and get some sleep in Oakland -- amid the downtown protests, tear gas, helicopters circling, and earthquakes.A 3.6 quake rattle the East Bay at about 5:36 a.m., causing buildings to sway and bringing public transit to a screeching halt. ... More >>

The Rock 'n' Sock Hop for Jonathan Toubin: Show Preview

That's kinda what it felt like ​It's been a tough week to try and get some sleep in Oakland -- amid the downtown protests, tear gas, helicopters circling, and earthquakes.A 3.6 quake rattle the East Bay at about 5:36 a.m., causing buildings to sway and bringing public transit to a screeching halt. ... More >>