■ City undertakes survey of historical sites after 6.0 temblor; one First Street building taped off for possible damage

Sunday morning’s earthquake centered in Napa damaged buildings in Vallejo, interrupted rail service for 12 hours and shook residents from Ukiah to Monterey, according to multiple reports.

But for the most part, the magnitude 6.0 temblor that struck about 3:20 a.m. Sunday — the biggest to hit the Bay Area since the disastrous Loma Prieta quake in 1989 — spared Benicia.

Vallejo City Manager Daniel E. Keen has declared a state of emergency for his city, which reported 16 water main breaks and some buildings with significant damage.

But in Benicia, only a portion of the east 900 block of First Street was taped off Monday until buildings could be inspected for damage. “So far, we have no damage reported to any structures except possibly the building at 901 First St.,” City Manager Brad Kilger said.

“It has been taped off, and staff will be doing a thorough investigation (Monday),” he said.

“As far as any other city historical buildings, there has not been any visible damage, but staff will be going through all of them to check.”

Nor were any problems reported at Valero Benicia Refinery.

Kilger said residents who have concerns about their own buildings and homes may call the city’s building department, 707-746-4230, if they want their homes inspected. They also may call a private company for the service, he said.

Fire Chief James Lydon said the city response began once the land quit shaking.

“The city’s public safety personnel began the process of assessing the community for potential damage,” he said.

“Later in the morning, once the light was better, a more detailed assessment of key areas of the community was completed, and at that time there were no specific issues noted.”

However, by Sunday afternoon, someone expressed concern about 901 First St., and an inspector began to examine the building, which was taped off to keep people at a safe distance, Lydon said.

The fire department also heard from Valero Benicia Refinery, which Lydon said had “no current issues.”

Once the department determined Benicia was intact, it began focusing on helping in Vallejo, he said.

“Currently, city staff continue to assess critical infrastructure and buildings within the community for potential compromise,” Lydon said.

Like Kilger, he said residents could call the city building department to describe their concerns about local buildings.

Lydon said the earthquake was a reminder about being prepared for the unexpected.

He said Benicia has been active in the past in preparing for disasters, not only through effective emergency responses and disaster management but also through preparing residents to deal directly with calamities.

In fact, “We are doing a few things in September related to disaster preparedness month,” he said.

Furthermore, Lydon said, Benicians can learn not only about disaster preparedness but also how to be self-reliant and contribute to public safety through classes offered by the Benicia Emergency Response Team.

BERT is one of many emergency response organizations formed after the Loma Prieta earthquake in San Francisco, when fire departments, police and residents discovered that catastrophes can prevent emergency responders from being able to reach and help victims.

“Over the past year, members of the city’s BERT program participated in a program provided by the American Red Cross on shelter management,” Lydon said. That led to securing a shelter cache in Benicia, an effort that was a collaboration of BERT, the fire department and Benicia Volunteer Firemen.

Those materials, which can care for 100 people, recently were delivered and have been placed in secure storage for use here or in any other area where the need is critical, Lydon said.

In addition, he said, Benicia residents have been trained in shelter management, which “will be a key component should we need to open a shelter locally.”

Larry Whitney, spokesperson for BERT, said the group already had planned to start its next series of classes Sept. 8.

That course will meet for six consecutive Mondays, with a skills test Oct. 18, he said.

Whitney said BERT members weren’t called to action in Sunday’s earthquake, though some members reported things shaken off shelves. He heard of no power outages here, though areawide about 70,000 Pacific Gas and Electric customers lost power at least part of the day.

By Monday, about 150 homes still had no electricity.

“After checking their homes and family members, some BERT members went out to check on their neighbors and check their homes for utility leaks,” Whitney said.

“But, house lights were out and all appeared normal, so they went back home. One BERT team that had experienced things falling off of shelves gathered to be sure that their small community was OK.”

On a personal note, Whitney said, “Like everybody else in town I am sure, I heard a crack, felt the shaking, and got up to check on family and look for damage.”

He said he looked out over the town, but saw no emergency lights and heard no sirens. He checked the city’s community television channel 27 for any emergency announcements.

And, as he was trained to do, he also watched for any needs from his neighbors.

When he saw nothing out of the ordinary, he said, he returned to bed.

“September is National Preparedness Month around our country,” Whitney noted. “Their theme this year is, ‘Be Disaster Aware, Take Action To Prepare.’”

Besides the BERT classes, he said, “there will be lots of information and announcements. We need to pay attention and act on it for our families.”

Many have heeded already. BERT has 425 active volunteers, and the agency, which is sponsored by Benicia Fire Department, has trained more than 525 residents in safety preparation, building examination, first aid care and other skills.

The next class, like the 28 previously taught by BERT’s members, will be a Federal Emergency Management Agency Community Emergency Response Team basic training course. The classes will meet at 6:30 p.m. in locations that will be provided to those who register, Whitney said.

Those interested may register at Benicia Fire Department, 150 Military West, during business hours or anytime online at www.BeniciaBERT.com, he said. There is no charge, but seating is limited.

“This is a great opportunity for community members to learn how they can be better prepared to care for themselves and their neighbors during a disaster,” Lydon said.

Lydon, who is Benicia’s emergency manager for its Emergency Operations Center, recently gave other city departments information about their responsibilities in the event of an emergency.

That’s the first step in a series of classes and exercises those employees will participate in. “The recent earthquake really highlights the importance of ongoing preparations,” Lydon said.

PG&E asked those who see downed power lines or smell natural gas to call either 9-1-1 or contact the utility at 800-743-5000.

Through the PG&E website, www.pge.com/myhome/edusafety/naturaldisaster/earthquake/links/, residents can download earthquake preparedness information and guides they can study before the next disaster happens.

Vallejo wasn’t as lucky as Benicia, Whitney said. But while the American Red Cross opened a shelter there, that center, set up in the Florence Douglas Senior Center, no longer was needed after Sunday.

Nine fire units were sent to Vallejo to respond to calls Sunday, and Vallejo Police Department, supplemented by Solano County Sheriff’s Office, put additional staff and officers on duty.

Area hospitals also called in extra staff to handle earthquake-related injuries.

In addition, at least one building in the 400 block of Georgia Street, with eight residential units and one commercial unit, was evacuated because of worries it was too dangerous to occupy.

Georgia Street itself, from Sonoma Boulevard to Marin Street, remained closed much of Monday, as was Indian Alley while buildings were being examined.

Nimitz Avenue was closed from Seventh Street to Bagley Street for the same reason, officials said. Lift access was restored under the Mare Island Causeway bridge by Sunday afternoon.

An inspection of the city’s ferry building and docks showed no damage, and ferry service wasn’t interrupted.

Nor did Six Flags Discovery Kingdom report any damage. The theme park was open for business Sunday.

Vallejo began issuing emergency notifications shortly after the earthquake occurred, and activated its Emergency Operations Center at about 4 a.m. Sunday.

According to information provided by those notifications, Vallejo experienced isolated structure damage to buildings, particularly those in the downtown area and on Mare Island.

The damage ranged from collapsed awnings and façades to broken windows and glass.

Water from sprinkler systems and structural failures damaged other buildings, the notifications said.

Emergency responders and city crews worked throughout Sunday to assess the extent of the damage, and placed red and yellow tags on some buildings that had experienced damaged or destroyed chimneys, had partially collapse, or had other identified structural damage.

Vallejo Water Division crews answered reports of 16 water main breaks, and were still working on those pipes Monday.

Solano County Sheriff’s Office, Contra Costa County and crews from American Canyon, Fairfield, Crockett, Cordelia and Benicia were sent in response to a request for mutual aid.

The Solano County Office of Emergency Services sent five engineers and five building inspectors to Vallejo to inspect and assess building damage.

Vallejo public schools remained open.

However, residents in homes with brick masonry fireplaces or damaged foundations are being asked to call 9-1-1 to receive a Vallejo Fire Department inspection; those who know they have structure damage can report it to the Vallejo Building Division, 707-648-4374.

Solano County Health and Social Services offices at 355 and 365 Tuolumne St., Vallejo, are temporarily closed because of the earthquake, Matthew A. Davis, Solano County public communications officer, said.

Family health services, Women-Infants-Children (WIC) nutrition services, mental health services, employment and eligibility and several other county services are provided there, Davis said.

The buildings have been yellow tagged, indicating additional inspection is needed before they can be opened, he said.

Solano County employees are reaching out to clients to reschedule their appointments at these locations or to divert them to Fairfield, Davis said.

In the meantime, WIC nutrition services will issue WIC checks at a temporary site in the the 365 Tuolumne St. parking lot.

Solano County Health and Social Services updates are being posted on the county website, www.solanocounty.com. Residents may also call 2-1-1 or 707-784-8400 for updates.

Freight and passenger rail service was disrupted for about 12 hours Sunday while crews inspected tracks and bridges, including the railroad bridge that crosses the Carquinez Strait near Interstate 680 from Benicia to Martinez.

The Capital Corridor train, which normally makes multiple trips each day from the Bay Area to Sacramento, didn’t resume service until about 3:15 p.m. Sunday.

Track inspections that caused the Capital Corridor and other trains to be held back caused many riders with tickets to wait in stations, hoping for news. Some were forced to adjust their travel plans. Trains on other routes were started shortly after the Capital Corridor and freight trains began running again.

Residents of other Bay Area cities had their own descriptions of the quake.

Kevin Denton, a Napa resident and contributor to The Benicia Herald, described the quake as “a long, what seemed like 15 second(s) of rumbling and crashing with no end in sight.”

He lives near the city’s downtown area, about seven miles from the earthquake’s epicenter.

“It felt side to side, like a see-saw action, and moderately violent,” he said. He lost “almost every dish and glass we own — flower vases, several bottles of wine and a bunch of food. It was all one huge mess on the floor in the kitchen.”

His home lost electrical service shortly after the earthquake struck, and the power was off until about noon Sunday.

“In the end, everyone is safe, but all shook up,” he said.

Different people felt the earthquake in different ways.

Terry Baldwin, a Martinez resident, said he heard a sound similar to the locomotives that travel near his home just before the shaking started. He felt an up-and-down movement of the ground and counted off the seconds, reaching 16 before the shaking stopped.

He had heard from those as far away as Roseville to the north and South San Francisco to the south, who said they, too, felt the quake. Some reports say the tremors were felt from Ukiah to Monterey.

Baldwin expressed dismay that the Vallejo damage wasn’t getting more notice compared to the wine bottles, casks and barrels destroyed in Napa. He particularly noted the chimney damage at many of the Mare Island military homes that a Vallejo friend described to him.

Randy Skinner, who lives north of Baldwin, said he felt the quake as a circular, swirling movement of his home.

Amy Ewing, of Lucas Valley, said, “What was different was the quality: shimmery, and (it) went on long enough here and caused some odd rattling that it was clear it was a big one somewhere.”

She said she felt lucky that the earthquake was “no big deal for us,” adding, “Not a hair out of place.”

During interviews Sunday before the Go-Pro Grand Prix of Sonoma, for the Verizon Indy Car series, Sonoma Raceway track President Steve Page said the earthquake “was intense and localized. In Sonoma it felt like the world was coming to an end. People in San Francisco hardly felt it.”

He said the track’s entire team was on site in minutes, inspecting grandstands and gas lines. “All of our emergency services and everything and everybody is in place, so we are very confident that we have some people in place if we have some aftershocks,” Page said. “It was a scary moment.”

Diana Brennan, senior director of media and community relations, said it was too dark to see when she drove to the track early Sunday, but said that the road course was to be inspected by first light. The race went on as scheduled.

“We were online with the media this morning (Sunday), just making sure people knew the race was on,” Page said. By 7 a.m. Sunday, Sonoma Raceway was open for business.

Christine Freeman, who lives in El Cerrito, woke up just as the earthquake started, and thought high winds were buffeting her home.

“It kept going, and was moving the house east to west,” she said. She was awake during the tremors, and grabbed her cell phone, checking a “quake app” to find out where it was centered.

She said her husband Greg was wearing earplugs and slept through the event.

Freeman’s home is a 1970s-era split-level that sits on a slope not far from the Hayward Fault. “The bottom floor is on a slab, and part of the living room is on stilts,” she said.

After she and Greg bought the house, they contracted for a foundation retrofit, based on structural reports she said had contained such words as “death” and “bodily injury.”

“Given the proximity to the fault and knowing that the fault hasn’t had substantial movement since the 1860s, when they called the 1868 earthquake ‘The Great San Francisco Quake,’ we paid attention.”

They had the garage reinforced and trenched the slope so a grade beam could tie the house’s posts together. Freeman called the earthquake a tryout of the retrofit.

“I felt like the house moved as it needed to — substantially — but no more.”

She and Greg are former Richmond residents, and had been members of that city’s Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT). “I am passionate about the need for neighborhoods in California to train together and form CERT teams.”

Benica Fire Chief Lydon agreed.

“We want to convey the opportunity for community members to be prepared and participate in the upcoming BERT training course,” he said.

“Additionally, we strongly encourage residents to create a family plan for disasters, including the development of an emergency kit.”

One of the first steps residents can take is to place a pair of old shoes under their beds, he said. That single act can avert one of the common causes of injuries in disasters, including this earthquake, Lydon said.

“As you are aware, this event occurred at night,” he said.

“As people exited their beds and began to assess their homes, it was very common for them to step on broken glass or other debris. The ability to slip on that pair of shoes is a simple measure that could prevent a common injury.”