Napa Optimistic Despite Millions in Quake Damage

Clean-up efforts are continuing in California after a magnitude 6.0 earthquake in Napa left more than $1 billion in property damage. Still, local officials hope the long-term economic impact will be minimal.

On Monday, tourism officials said Napa Valley is still open for business.

"Clearly we are concerned that people are going to see that it was a catastrophe, and it certainly wasn't good. But it wasn't a catastrophe by any means," said Clay Gregory, president of the tourism organization Visit Napa Valley.

"The real story is that it has impacted a very small part of the valley," he said.

"We're only 24 hours out from an earthquake, and we're on our way back," Napa County Supervisor Bill Dodd said.

The worst damage and disruption from the quake remains confined to the city's downtown. Authorities say a post office, library, and 141-room hotel are among 150 homes and buildings that are now unsafe to occupy.

Also, about 80 percent of the area's 500 wineries survived unaffected.

The majority of the Napa County economy comes from the wine business and associated tourism. Visit Napa Valley said about 3 million tourists spend $1.4 billion a year in the county.

Traditionally, August, September and October represent the busiest time of year for both wineries and tourists as workers harvest the grapes and visitors come from around the world to watch.

Sunday's quake has also renewed calls for a quake activity alert system, similar to ones in Mexico and Japan. The system could give up to 40 seconds notice before a temblor, allowing people time to find cover.

It's also enough time to stop a train from leaving a station or to stop surgery in a hospital.

California is still trying to find funding for an alert system. It would need an estimated $80 million to start one.