At first, we thought it was just a bus or semi truck rumbling by.
We were finishing the final inspection on our soon-to-be home with a contractor and two realtors.
Everything looked great and we were ready to close escrow.
I headed home to pick up my daughter Alicia at daycare then watch the World Series.
The San Francisco Giants were playing the Oakland A's, a true Battle of the Bay.
I turned on the radio to listen to the game and they said the Bay Bridge collapsed.
The announcer said the World Series was postponed.
Homes were collapsing and on fire in San Francisco's Marina District.
WTF is going on I thought.
I soon realized the BIG ONE they've been warning us about is here.
An 8.9 earthquake centered near Santa Cruz wreaked havoc on the San Francisco Bay Area.
My heart was racing because I wanted to make sure Alicia was safe.
Ellen was stuck in traffic because she had to cross a bridge to get home and it was backed up for miles.
The radio announcer said roads, homes and apartment buildings were severely damaged.
When I finally got home with Alicia, I turned on the television.
We lived about 30 miles north of San Francisco but it seemed like we were a million miles away.
There was no damage where we lived and life was normal.
I worked in Oakland at the time, a few blocks from the Nimitz Freeway.
They cut to a reporter near that double-decker freeway because it had collapsed.
Hundreds of cars were crushed by the upper deck.
I left work at 3 PM that day for the inspection of our new home.
Every other day, I left work at 5 PM.
I would have been on the lower deck of the freeway at 5:04 PM when the earthquake struck.
I realized how precious life is.
For months after the earthquake, I feared driving under freeway overpasses.
We still live in that house today.
The house is on a huge rock and we never feel earthquakes.
Our kids never felt an earthquake until they went to college.
I've had plenty of near misses in life but this one really hits home.
Today is the 36th anniversary of Loma Prieta earthquake and I count my blessings every day that the home inspection saved my life.
