Richmond, California - Crime and Disasters

Crime and Disasters

Richmond lies in the volatile California region that has a potential for devastating earthquakes. Many buildings were damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. There was also minor damage in the Richmond earthquake in 1995. The city has also had at least one minor tornado. The Chevron Richmond Refinery often releases gases and had many highly noted chemical leaks in the 1990s. The company has been fined thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars. The chemicals most often released are chlorine and sulfur trioxide.

In a July 26, 1993, industrial accident, a General Chemical company rail tanker car containing oleum overheated and exploded in the General Chemical railyard. This resulted in a 17-mile (27 km) area contaminated with the poisonous gas, and led to 25,000 people landing in the hospital. The incident led to lawsuits, and has been referred to as a mini-Bhopal.

The city's shoreline and wildlife were seriously affected by the 2007 San Francisco Bay oil spill. Beaches and shoreline were closed, but later reopened. Keller Beach was closed to public access for swimmers.

On April 15, 2010, a sinkhole (roughly 30 feet / 9 m deep) appeared at the intersection of El Portal and Via Verde. Although no one was hurt, a car fell into the sinkhole.

There are 17 emergency warning sirens in the city, they are tested every Wednesday and are usually used to warn of toxic chemical releases from the Chevron Richmond Refinery.

On October 24, 2009, a 15-year-old girl was gang-raped at Richmond High School for 2½ hours. The crime happened during the high school's home coming dance event.

In March 2010, #3 Most Dangerous City – Richmond, California The second California city in the top ten list of most dangerous cities in the United States ranks as number 3 in terms of auto theft and terms of murders.