The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake struck just after 5 p.m. Tuesday, October 17, 1989 — just as the Bay Area Reporter was going into production for that week's paper. While the cover of our October 19 issue looked a little different, we were able to publish on Thursday as usual and had a front-page story about how the Castro largely escaped major damage. People were using flashlights and flares to help direct traffic and some stores remained open, offering limited service.
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