Oakland Hills - Earthquakes, landslides or other concerns?

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by TurboTalon

Honestly I think I've seen more stories about houses falling into the ocean than sliding down a hill. I'd still prefer to live on flat though. We live at the bottom of a hill and got flooded during El Niño, but no slides.

So much for a homeowner to be paranoid about in California. LOL

But I wouldnt live anywhere else.

[sliverbox]

I remember when we were looking at buying houses we looked in the Oakland Hills. Personally I didn't care for the fact that seemingly most of the houses were clinging to the side of a hill and the yards were at 60 degree angles. I guess what bothered me a bit was that the roads were often really narrow, twisty, and congested with parked cars. In other words you wouldn't be able to get out of the area in a hurry.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by sliverbox

I remember when we were looking at buying houses we looked in the Oakland Hills. Personally I didn't care for the fact that seemingly most of the houses were clinging to the side of a hill and the yards were at 60 degree angles. I guess what bothered me a bit was that the roads were often really narrow, twisty, and congested with parked cars. In other words you wouldn't be able to get out of the area in a hurry.

My parents lived in the fire zone that was hit by that historic firestorm discussed here earlier. They were in a neighborhood that was in the hills, on the border between Berkeley and Oakland. The Oakland streets were very narrow and windy, unable to accommodate fire trucks. Many of those homes burned to the ground. On the Berkeley side, up the street from those homes, where the streets are the standard width, have sidewalks, streetlamps and the normal city amenities, the Berkeley fire department parked a fire truck that kept the homes hosed down. Not a single home was singed, let alone destroyed.

[DocGoldstein]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

My parents lived in the fire zone that was hit by that historic firestorm discussed here earlier. They were in a neighborhood that was in the hills, on the border between Berkeley and Oakland. The Oakland streets were very narrow and windy, unable to accommodate fire trucks. Many of those homes burned to the ground. On the Berkeley side, up the street from those homes, where the streets are the standard width, have sidewalks, streetlamps and the normal city amenities, the Berkeley fire department parked a fire truck that kept the homes hosed down. Not a single home was singed, let alone destroyed.

I remember that. Oakland took the brunt of the damage from the wild fires and nothing was actually changed till this day to accommodate big fire trucks, or make it easier to evacuate. Some places in the Oakland hills are still death traps even now.

[sliverbox]

I was also struck at the cost of houses up there. Pretty pricey area. It seemed that any house that had any sort of yard you didn't have to lean over to walk in cost a small fortune. We ultimately bought somewhere else that was flat.

[Ultrarunner]

Originally Posted by DocGoldstein

I remember that. Oakland took the brunt of the damage from the wild fires and nothing was actually changed till this day to accommodate big fire trucks, or make it easier to evacuate. Some places in the Oakland hills are still death traps even now.

Since the firestorm I'm aware of the following.

Many areas have underground utilities because downed power lines were a big problem

Fire Stations in the Hills all added smaller trucks to their fleet

Hill homeowners now pay for a fire suppression district that is supposed to step up vegetation inspection/enforcement and buy more equipment and provide no cost tree chipping.

Almost all homes since are required to have sprinklers inside and out and larger water service.

All homes with elevated driveways must be designed to carry the full weight of fire trucks.

Oakland and Berkeley have codified mutual aid so either city can fight fires in the hill area without waiting.

Oakland fire hydrants were converted to the newer style making it easier for outside fire fighters to hook-up

Oakland and nearby agencies have new radios allowing crews from adjoining cities to communicate directly.

[ssmaster]

Originally Posted by DocGoldstein

I remember that. Oakland took the brunt of the damage from the wild fires and nothing was actually changed till this day to accommodate big fire trucks, or make it easier to evacuate. Some places in the Oakland hills are still death traps even now.

oakland also bought special trucks to accomadate the narrow winding roads and requires new roofs to be made of special fire retardent material

Specially designed fire engines to hit Bay Area streets - Inside Bay Area
OAKLAND — A new generation of fire engine, specially designed to navigate tight city streets, made its public debut Monday on the 17th anniversary of the Oakland hills fire.
The new rigs are about 2 feet shorter in length than older models, ride higher off the ground to achieve better clearance and are slightly shorter in height. The turning radius is also improved, officials said

[zugor]

You can do some research on the Hayward Fault here:

Hayward Fault Scenario Earthquakes

(Lived in Oakland for 30+ years, retired to VA 7 years ago.)

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by zugor

You can do some research on the Hayward Fault here:

Hayward Fault Scenario Earthquakes

(Lived in Oakland for 30+ years, retired to VA 7 years ago.)

The Hayward Fault runs underneath Lake Temescal which is a few hundred yards from my house in Upper Rockridge. Im thinking that I dont worry as much as I probably should but even after we've taken every precaution we are never totally in control of what is possible.

[Dennis the Man]

My wife and I lost our home to a landslide in 1998 on Snake Road. Previously there were two homes lost three doors down from us in 1982. We experienced a hellish process to resolve all of the issues associated with the disaster. It actually took us 7 years to bring everything to an end. I have a wealth of information about this subject if anybody has any questions.