Growing up in the midwest, earthquakes were not a natural disaster we had to worry about. My only frame of reference for natural disasters were tornadoes and flooding. As disasters, there’s no way to really compare tornadoes and earthquakes. They’re both devastating in their way and the people caught in them are helpless and dwarfed before this tremendous force of nature.
The only difference that stands out is the duration. On average, most tornadoes are on the ground between 10 – 30 minutes, though it’s not unheard of for them to be on the ground well over an hour. Earthquakes are over comparatively quickly. Most take between 15 seconds to 2 minutes.
On Wednesday, April 18, at 5:13 a.m. local time, a tremendous earthquake shook San Francisco shaking the city like a giant predator shaking a hapless varmint caught in its jaws. The earthquake’s magnitude was 7.9 and hit the maximum on the Mercalli intensity scale at XI. The damage to the city from the earthquake was devastating. A major aftershock struck at 8:14 a.m., and many of the damaged buildings collapsed.
Everyone knows about the great San Francisco earthquake. But outside California, I don’t think the fires that followed the earthquake are as well understood. The earthquake ruptured the gas mains that fueled over 30 fires that ravaged the city, destroying 25,000 buildings on 490 city blocks over the course of three days. The fires began almost immediately after the earthquake and are estimated to have caused between 80-95% of the total damage.
This is Valencia street, after the earthquake. You see the condition of the buildings and the road and the confusion in the streets. The fires hadn’t started yet.
digitalsf.org
Fire is always a concern in California but the fires that followed this earthquake were in such extreme conditions, I want to highlight them. I can’t imagine what it would have been like for the firefighters. So stay tuned! I’m going to publish a little piece today or tomorrow about the fires and show some photos I’d never seen before. You’ll be amazed!
old spirituals 
When we lived in California, we kept a wrench on top of the gas meter so we could turn it off if we had a large earthquake. We did have a 6.8 and a 7.4 within three hours of each other while living in Yucaipa. The aftershocks lasted for about three years, with some as large as a 5 magnitude. We became experts in judging the magnitude!
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Wow! Really! 6.8 and 7.4 are massive. Did your house survive them both? A 5 is really dramatic too. Note to self, I should learn how to shut off the gas.
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Yes, our house only had a few small cracks in the drywall and one in the concrete driveway. We bought a new home that was built to survive earthquakes. It really shook so badly that our chandelier was swinging and almost touching the ceiling with each swing. Needless to say our earthquake insurance had a $25,000 deductible after those earthquakes!
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That sounds terrifying!
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It was! It’s wonderful to live away from earthquake country!
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I bet you’re glad. A 6.8 and a 7.4 in the same day would traumatize anybody!
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Earthquakes can cause profound damage and death. Its unpredictability makes them more dangerous and frightening. I was not aware of the fires that followed the 1906 San Francisco. There was another great fire in a U.S. major city.
“The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago, Illinois during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly 3.3 square miles (9 km2) of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left more than 100,000 residents homeless.”
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Fire was a much bigger threat back then wasn’t it? I suppose it was partly the way the buildings were designed and the lack of ventilation and access to exits…
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