SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- San Francisco Mayor London Breed said Thursday that the city has invested 20 billion U.S. dollars on critical infrastructure to prepare for future disasters.
In a statement issued on the 30th Anniversary of Loma Prieta Earthquake, which hit the city on Oct. 17, 1989, killing 63 people and injuring more than 3,700 others, Breed said the earthquake and its aftermath were "traumatic and challenging."
"In the 30 years since Loma Prieta, the city has made significant investments to ensure that we're ready for the next major earthquake," she said.
"It is not a matter of 'if' the next big earthquake strikes, but a matter of 'when,'" she added.
Breed said that the new investment will be used to build and improve neighborhood fire stations, district police stations, the Emergency Firefighting Water System and other essential facilities and infrastructure, which plays a key role in providing immediate assistance for the city in event of a disaster.
"When disaster strikes, we all need to be ready to help each other. It's how we survived Loma Prieta 30 years ago, and it's how we'll survive the next disaster that comes our way," she said.
On Thursday evening, Breed attended a special commemoration event at the Marina District in northern San Francisco, which suffered massive damage during the Loma Prieta earthquake.
She struck a silver bell at 5:04 p.m local time (1004 GMT), the exact moment when the 6.9-magnitude temblor hit the city, at the memorial event to honor those who lost their lives in the disaster and the valiant efforts of the first responders including fire fighters and police officers, as well as volunteers and neighborhood response team members.
