1983 KTVK ABC 3 Arizona - May 02, 1983 Coalinga earthquake - ABC News World News This Morning

1983 ABC channel 3 ABC World News This Morning with Kathleen Sullivan and Charles Gibson sitting in for Steve Bell.
- Steve Bell. Detail on an earthquake that damaged several California communities. Tonight on Nightline.
- Eyewitness news update with Jim Scoutten and Phil Allen. A major earthquake in central California. Buildings are toppled and at least 50 people are injured. What is a nuclear fusion plant and why are Arizonans so dead against one.
- This is KTVK-TV 3 Phoenix, Arizona.
- From ABC News Washington. This is Tuesday May 3rd. It's 6:00AM. the top of the news this morning rescue crews are searching through the ruble after several earthquakes rock the town of Coalinga, California.
- Also, tornadoes in Ohio New York have left 7 dead. The first player selected in last week's NFL John Elway will play football in Denver.
- Some 200 miles south east of San Francisco an earthquake shook the town of Coalinga. The quake shook at 5 in the afternoon. There apparently were no deaths but at least 20 people are injured. Steven Gear, It struck at 4:43PM Monday afternoon with a force of 6.5 on the richter scale. Devastated the town of about 7,000. The quake was centered 5 miles to the Nort East. Fires broke out as gas lines snapped. The Coalinga Inn became a pile of ruble. Volunteers, firefighters, sheriff deputies and National Guardsmen searched for victims. With power out at the Coalinga hospitals the injured were evacuated and moved to the outer communities. California's governor declared the town a disaster area. One state assemblyman toured the downtown area and gave this assessment:
- Jim Costa (California State Representative)
"This is a disaster of major proportions. I have never seen anything as terrible in terms of a natural disaster iny life."
- Most of the telephone service is knocked down and the water supply was contaminated. As night fell residents whose homes were damaged or destroyed slept out in the chilly night air. Some fear to return to their homes as aftershocks followed the quake. An extensive relief effort is on the way. This is a community in shock. Steven Gear ABC News Coalinga California.
- Tornadoes played havock in parts of the eastern United States yesterday. One twister hit Eerie Pennsylvania injuring several people when it slammed into a barn. There wasore damage when another tornado hit western New York killing 3 people. 4 others were killed on separate twisters in Ohio.
Originally Broadcast Tuesday May 03, 1983 at 6:00AM by ABC KTVK TV Phoenix channel 3. This broadcast was recorded onto a Sanyo V-Cord2 video cassette with a 1976 Sanyo VTC-8200 VCR.

[@dgendvil]

Chuck Gibson later became host on Good Morning America four years later & also on WNT replacing the late Peter Jennings...

[@HolyShnikeez_1975]

I had a lot of family that lived in Coalinga when the quake hit so to get away they all drove to Michigan where i lived and then we got hit by a tornado and lost power for 10 days.

[@Big_Gregg_B]

I remember it like it was yesterday! I remember where I was at, what I was doing, seeing the road wave 8 feet up and down... it was a wild ride! Funny thing is now I live in Ohio! Lol

[@tamekkaknuth9612]

Just a stand up white fan

[@patriciaparsons2655]

Totally worthless video! Should have done more coverage on it! Feb 2024!