May 2006 Archives

Jane Po

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Whether you're in California or Florida, Massachusetts or Texas, warm + dry weather = brush fire. Brush fires occur all the way through fall, when winds kick in. Funny how we were talking about raging waters just a while back, and now we're talking raging flames. (But that's part of the beauty of blogging, right?) Actually, I wanted to talk about brush fires because fire season is well on its way, and also—as with earthquakes—we like to live where we shouldn't, like in fire zones.

To be able to better prepare for brush fires, the first thing one has to understand is fire behavior. This interactive web site , hosted by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research , illustrates how different factors, such as weather or topography, affect the way fires begin and spread. If you're still not getting it, here's a simpler approach .

A great resource for finding out if you live in a fire-prone area is the National Interagency Fire Center's fire maps page . Some of the fire maps contain real-time data. (Viewing them is also a safe way to fulfill your pyro fantasy.) You may also want to extend your vocabulary by checking out the glossary  on the Public Broadcasting System's (PBS) Nova companion site.

The information presented in these resources is written in accessible language—Ph.D. not required! By arming oneself with some basic knowledge, you have taken the first step to effective preparedness.

Jane Po

When major disasters happen, we are often moved by images of misery and despair. An account from a parent who has lost her child, or a picture of an old woman scavenging for food amidst rubble is enough to prompt us to dial a disaster relief organization and ask, "How can I help?" Because most of us can ill afford to take leave from our jobs and volunteer, we're more likely to donate cash or in kind rather than give time. Herein lies the dilemma: "To which of the gazillion disaster relief organizations should I give without being taken for a ride?" (FYI: There are over 1.6 million charity organizations registered in the country, and 60,000 new ones are created annually.)

I wish the answer were that easy . Fortunately, here's one site that features articles on smart giving . Smartgivers.org features guidelines on subjects such as how much to give to a charity, how much a organizations should spend on programs, and donor tax benefits.

Another good resource is the Better Business Bureau's Give.org . It evaluates over 600 national charitable organizations, with a strong emphasis on accountability. It also offers a medium for filing a complaint against unscrupulous organizations. Like Smartgivers.org, the site offers plenty of tips on charitable giving.

It's terrible when an act of kindness becomes an opportunity for getting taken advantage of. Luckily, online resources such as Give.org and Smartgivers.org help us to combine our good intentions with charity savvy.

Jane Po

Last Saturday, May 27, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3  struck the island of Java in Indonesia. The city of Yogyakarta was hit the hardest, and the death toll, as of this morning, was at around 5,700 and is still rising. Over 200,000 people have been displaced. And it doesn't help that a nearby volcano, Mount Merapi , has been showing signs of activity.

Indonesia  is the fourth most populous nation in the world, with much of its people living in poverty. Recovery will be slow , especially because the country is still dealing with the disaster caused by the tsunami in 2004. Disaster relief organizations have been quick to respond, but will need to raise more funds in a climate of "charity fatigue." Perhaps you'd like to help?

If you're thinking of donating money, but not quite sure how, here are some tips on how to give with confidence to charitable organizatons  from Charity Navigator, a cool web site that helps donors make intelligent giving decisions. If you're already familiar with the ins and outs of charitable giving, take a look at the Reuters Foundation's Alertnet page on donating to the Indonesian quake relief effort . The page lists over 20 reputable disaster relief organizations working to help the earthquake victims. There's a link to the donation form page of each organization listed.

As we've seen in our own Bay Area history, it will take more than a village to rebuild and rise from destruction. With credit card on one hand and a mouse on the other, you can make a difference.

Ed Terpening

Previously, I had talked about the danger posed by driving through a flood. If the safety guidelines from the National Weather Service’s Don’t Drown Turn Around®  campaign haven’t convinced you of the importance of its message, consider these statistics from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration .

I think we’ve misled ourselves into believing that we’re just as secure inside the four sides of our cars as we are within the four walls of our homes. Not so. The image on the left explains why. And, as the statistics point out, SUVs and pickups are just as vulnerable as small cars to the hazards of driving through a flood. Still not convinced? Watch this video called Never Cross a Flooded Road, Available in three formats: avi , mov  or mpeg2 .

Ed Terpening

Which of these two hurricane after-effects causes more deaths, a storm surge  or inland flooding ? If you chose inland floods, you’re right! According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration  (NOAA), while a storm surge is always a potential threat, more people have died from inland flooding from 1970 up to 2000.

There are many reasons why inland flooding poses the greatest danger in times of hurricanes, but the main one is because people underestimate the seriousness of the flood itself. Drivers charge ahead in flooded roadways without giving thought to water depth or what lies beneath the water (sinkholes , anyone?), so a lot of casualties are people who drown in their cars.

 To address this issue, the National Weather Service  has launched a campaign called Turn Around Don’t Drown® . The campaign has created safety rules for coping with inland floods. It has also disseminated outreach materials, such as posters and brochures, which can be downloaded from the campaign’s web site. AND, if these reading materials don’t grab you, maybe this song(mp3)  will. 

Jane Po

Having grown up in typhoon  country, I've always wondered what the eye of a hurricane,  looks like. I know I've been IN one at some point—you feel some sort of an eerie calm, which makes you heave a brief sigh of relief, that is, until the eye passes and the wind picks up again, and terror grips you once more. I have one vivid recollection of a typhoon that hit our city close to noon. The storm was so powerful that a glass top from our lawn furniture danced in mid-air like a sheet of Kleenex, then dropped on the grass as soon as the eye came in.

I finally found some awesome shots of a hurricane's eye , taken from a weather plane by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Jane Po

The author takes a look at the future that befell the displaced of 1927, and what lies ahead for Katrina's victims. Perry comments on post-Katrina economic analyses parlayed by mainstream media pundits, as he points out the shameless candor with which some of these statements were made. And the sarcasm he unleashes on the government's action in response to the catastrophe makes the article a provocative read.

Jane Po

In case you didn't know, it's National Hurricane Preparedness Week. To emphasize the importance of the issue, the National Hurricane Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has launched a hurricane preparedness web site . (Yes, we're taking a break from earthquakes.)

The Hurricane Preparedness web site is rich in information on hurricane science, and on how to get ready for different hazards that come with hurricanes such as inland flooding  (the first thing you should think about when a hurricane happens), storm surges  and tornadoes . There's also a section on hurricane history, which features a tracker  that graphically displays storms since 1851.

Two "cute" features: a table with the names of hurricanes for the seasons 2006 through 2011 (do you really want to name your child Whitney?), and a kids' site  that has posters available for download. The kids' site also has a scavenger hunt to teach them how to assemble a disaster supply kit, and a hurricane coloring book.

In case you're wondering why we're focused on hurricanes this time, it's because June 1st marks the beginning of hurricane season. Also, after all the comparison that's been made between the destruction caused bv the quake of '06 and Katrina, do we really want to see another catastrophe of the same magnitude?

Jane Po

Remember the old adage "Haste makes waste?" Unfortunately, politics has a way of worming its way into any sort of infrastructure construction, and San Francisco was not exempt from this. Here is an excerpt from an article in the Contra Costa times dated Apr. 18, 2006 , which talks about seismic codes and reconstruction after the big quake of '06:

...San Francisco civic leaders decided against making major upgrades of the city building code even though the U.S. Geological Survey concluded that poor building design contributed to the heavy losses.

San Francisco leaders worried tougher code standards could slow reconstruction.

"In the rush to rebuild, San Francisco was denied a safer future," Philip Fradkin wrote in his 2005 book, "The Great Earthquake and Firestorms of 1906."

Efforts to upgrade the code substantially were defeated, Fradkin wrote. "For those in charge of building... little or nothing should be done so the city could be rebuilt as quickly and as cheaply as possible."

Reconstruction crews filled mushy shoreline areas with earthquake rubble to build on despite scientists' warnings that those areas were vulnerable to quake damage.

City leaders downplayed the earthquake damage to avoid scaring off loans needed to finance reconstruction.

Now if you think this was all something that could've only happened in the past, think again. This morning, an independent team of engineers and disaster experts released a report on why the levees failed during Hurricane Katrina . The conclusion? Failure of the levees was the result of "a culture of inattention that put safety lower on the scale than cost." Guided by history? You tell me.

Jane Po

Since a major Indian Ocean quake triggered a massive tsunami in 2004, residents of coastal areas worldwide have started to ask: "Could it happen here? What are the chances?" An article from the US Geological Service's (USGS) newsletter Sound Waves  takes a look at tsunami risks in different parts of the United States and its territories. For us residents of the US West Coast, it's not a question of if, but when.

Like earthquakes, tsunamis strike without warning and, in many cases, may involve not one but more waves. Is there anything that can be done to prepare for a tsunami? What should you do when a tsunami hits? The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has an excellent web site dedicated to tsunamis  that features information on science, research, preparedness and disaster mitigation. Or read the USGS circular entitled Surviving a Tsunami—Lessons from Chile, Hawaii, and Japan  for guidelines on tsunami preparedness, based on the accounts of survivors of past catastrophes.

Jane Po

Until the Great Tsunami of 2004 hit Southeast Asia , these monstrous waves existed in the realm of Hollywood disaster blockbusters. Unfortunately, today, not many remember the tsunami that hit Crescent City, California , when a powerful earthquake shook Alaska on Good Friday, 1964. The earthquake was the largest ever to be recorded  in North America. It created waves 7-21 feet tall which battered the Crescent City's coastline, causing 11 deaths and $7,414,000 (in 1964 dollars) in damages.

So massive was the catastrophe that when an earthquake measuring magnitude 7 occurred off the coast of Northern California on June 15, 2005, the survivors of the '64 tsunami had to relive the nightmare from 40 years before. Listen to a two-part broadcast about that horrific event on National Public Radio. (Part 1 ; Part 2 )

Jane Po

Do you have enough insurance to cover your loss after a disaster? The continuing saga of Katrina and recent disasters, such as the landslides in Northern California, provide ample warning to get adequate insurance coverage for your home and personal property. Keep in mind, FEMA sets a limit of $26,000 for personal disaster assistance.

So what does your homeowner's insurance policy cover? Is your property covered for "acts of God?" Here is a useful article  from the Federal Consumer Information Center  (remember those campy ads about consumer education brochures from Pueblo, Colorado? That's them, folks!) that answers some basic questions on disaster insurance. Value add: the good folks at the FCIC must've known the consumer's aversion to reading fine print so the entire page is written in LARGE TYPE.

Jane Po

Last month, the Department of the Interior’s publication, People, Land, and Water  released a special issue dedicated to the Earthquake of 1906 . Like most commemorative publications on the quake, the magazine featured personal accounts, a timeline of events, articles on preparedness and plenty of historical photographs. What set it apart, however, is that the personal accounts featured came from earth scientists who experienced the catastrophe. It’s truly intriguing when the empirical mind confronts its humanity.

The magazine is loaded with articles on science written in accessible, everyday language. And it’s very generous with illustrative maps. But what got me transfixed was a story about a US Geological Survey (USGS) scientist who finally retired after 51 years of being the de facto spokesperson for the USGS. The story of this man’s dedication to his profession tied in very nicely with the article on what it’s like to be an earthquake scientist. An article that talked about the USGS’ Did You Feel It  program showed how science research can enlist the general public’s help in data gathering, in effect turning the man on the street into Citizen Scientist.

Again, it’s the connection between science and everyday life that makes this magazine stand out against mundane—and oftentimes, just plain dull—government publications .

Jane Po

Another natural disaster California residents have to deal with is landslides. Rains can trigger them and so can earthquakes. The picture on the left was one of the largest landslides caused by the 1906 earthquake. That happened in Humboldt County.

To find out if you live in landslide country, try looking for your area's landslide map  on the US Geological Survey (USGS) web site. California’s Department of Conservation web site also contains detailed landslide maps  for the state. If you’re an East Bay resident and want the ultimate landslide map experience, try the USGS/Google Earth helicopter tour  of the Hayward Fault. It maps out active landslide areas in the East Bay Hills, and you can even zoom in on your house to see if it will be doing the luge  when the next heavy rain or earthquake occurs.

Should you discover that you live in a landslide-prone area, don’t go into full buyer’s or renter’s remorse mode just yet. There are some things you can do to mitigate the impact of a landslide on your home. As in an earthquake, the key to surviving a landslide is preparedness. Check the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) web site for guidelines on what to do before , during  and after  a landslide.

Jane Po

I’ve been reading a pamphlet from the US Geological Survey (USGS) called Facing the Great Disaster: How the Men and Women of the U.S. Geological Survey Responded to the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake . The 18-page booklet pays tribute to the men and women of the USGS, who went beyond the call of their profession to chronicle the disaster from day to day, and to assist in post-quake relief efforts. To quote: "They were all ordinary people who responded to a natural disaster in extraordinary ways."

The USGS' California-based topographers, many of whom were originally hired to map the physical features of the state, shifted their focus and studied the effects of the quake through photography and field observations. Some of the more memorable photos on the quake that are in circulation today are part of the USGS collection. Many of them are reproduced in the pamphlet.

The prose of the booklet is unsentimental and devoid of drama. Instead, it highlights true accomplishments of the USGS' finest without the need for heroic language. You can read the booklet online  or purchase a hard copy  from the USGS.

Jane Po

Okay, indulge me on this one post. After spending weeks upon weeks looking at photographs of the quake of '06, I found these on the UC Berkeley Bancroft Library's excellent online archive . Will someone please tell me: WHY ARE ALL THESE WOMEN FASHIONABLY DRESSED?!?

Jane Po

This morning, a series of small earthquakes hit the North Bay  (for non-Bay Area residents, this area refers to the counties of Marin, Solano, and lower Sonoma). The strongest, which struck at 3:37 a.m., measured 4.4 on the Richter Scale.

Sonoma was one of the hardest-hit areas  of the 1906 earthquake. There are numerous photographs of the ruined Santa Rosa county courthouse  in circulation in print and on the web. You can read a newspaper account of the quake from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat online . The destruction was caused by the earth movement itself, unlike in San Francisco where most of the destruction was caused by fire. The quake of '06 is the largest natural disaster to hit Sonoma.

This morning's earthquakes were not the only reminders that we in the Bay Area live under precarious conditions. The Sonoma County Museum  is holding an exhibit entitled Force of Nature: 1906 Earthquake Centennial to commemorate the area's devastation which, as the exhibit's brochure explains, "dramatically rupture(s) our presumptions of stability."

Jane Po

I'm a big fan of online exhibits. They offer instant gratification—I am able to take a second look at an artifact and see if there are details that I missed on my first viewing, and I get to pay as many visits and enjoy parts of the exhibit that I like best. There’s something else I like about online exhibits. They’re a great way for collections to be shared with folks who don’t have the time or money to travel and view these rare gems.

One nice little exhibit I found is the Photographs of the 1906 Disaster From the Studios of Espey and Rogers , hosted by then Oakland Public Library. It’s a collection of pictures taken by Charles Victor Espey, a refugee from San Francisco who settled in Oakland. The plate glass negatives were donated to the Oakland Library when he passed away. The exhibit's layout is simple, no-nonsense, but the selections it featured had a kind of poignancy to them which I found very moving.

One particular photograph that caught my eye depicts survivors scavenging the ruins for cooking utensils . While viewing it, I found myself feeling very grateful for not having lived under such dire circumstance.

Jane Po

I’ve always lived in earthquake country. Before moving to this country, I lived in the part of the world seismologists like to call The Ring of Fire . I felt my first real, strong shaker when I was 10. It struck at 4:10 in the morning . To this day, I have not found a Richter scale reading of its magnitude because back then, scientists in my country used an antiquated way of measuring earthquake intensity with a Rossi-Forel scale . It registered Intensity VII. It may have been considerably weaker than any of the ones I’ve felt here in California, but to a 10-year-old, that was a big deal.

The quake was strong enough to wake up our household. I remember the very first earthquake safety advice I ever got: My mom screamed, “Go under the bed!” I can still hear her voice as if it happened yesterday. After it was over, she led us to our dining room. We have an antique heirloom dining table made of the thickest piece of lumber. It seats 14 people, but as my mom pointed out, it could provide cover for as many as 20.

There were 260 deaths attributed to the quake , mainly because the quake caused a six-story apartment building to collapse. I remember all the news outlets covering the rescue efforts 24/7, the voices of news reporters all shaky and choked, all because there was little hope of recovering any live bodies. School was suspended that day, but when classes resumed the day after, my teachers would speak about the event in hushed tones. I have no recollection of any “just in case another earthquake comes along, you should…” discussion in class. I do remember the nuns urging us to pray (my school’s idea of preparedness).

That was many years ago. You’d think that I would know better and settle in a "more sensible" place. But that event must have made a strange impression on me because today, I'm practically sitting on top of a fault.

Jane Po

Carleton Watkins  was a prominent American photographer whose life had taken a few unfortunate turns. The quake of ’06 destroyed his studio and all his negatives . He never recovered from his loss. Devastated, he spent the last 6 years of his life at the Napa State Hospital for the Insane.

In the past, disaster recovery meant physical recovery. Bones were mended. Walls were patched. City planners went back to the drawing board and built anew. But there were no conversations around coping with loss, emotional pain, or shock. Survivors were expected to simply “deal with it” and move on. Unfortunately, not everyone knew how to "deal" with "it."

Luckily, today, emotional recovery is recognized as part of the greater disaster recovery process. There are excellent online resources that address disaster mental health. The Centers for Disease Control , I think, has one of the best. It has a very informative section on crisis counseling for kids and teens. If you’re a mental health professional, you may also want to check out the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration’s Emergency Mental Health and Traumatic Stress  site and. For clinicians, the Department of Veterans Affairs offers an online guidebook .

Jane Po

(Curators are a special breed of people. They bring together elements of scholarship, pedagogy and—I hate to say this but here goes—entertainment. I'm always fascinated by the choices they make, their mindset, their personality and how all that is expressed in an exhibit. In this vein, we welcome guest blogger Aimee Klask, curator of the Oakland Museum's  exhibit Aftershock, Voices from the 1906 Earthquake and Fire.)

I am ashamed to say, I have visited a few psychics in my life. Not one of them ever revealed to me that one day I would be the curator of an exhibition about the 1906 earthquake and fire . When the exhibit was assigned to me, I thought to myself, “How am I going to make this exhibit interesting, it is a topic so many people think they already know and find boring.”

As I scoured the books pertaining to the subject and the collections housed at institutions, I was surprised by how only one type of story was presented over and over again—middle class white woman feels earthquake, sees refugees, and helps those who are displaced. The first time I read this type of account I thought it was interesting, but after the third and fourth time, ennui set in. I pondered, “Out of 200,000 people displaced by one of the disastrous fires in American history, there is only documentation from this small group of the population? That doesn’t seem right.” Then, when I was reading a recent publication about the disaster and the concealing of the story by officials, I came across a justification as to why non-white and non-middle class people were not documented in this book in an ‘author’s note,’ and let me quote from the source—“[d]espite making an extensive search and asking others for help, I was able to locate only a few accounts by low-income Anglos, Asians, and southern Europeans. Native Americans and Afro-Americans were minorities within a minority of color at the time. It was as if they hadn’t existed…These voices are absent for a number of reasons. Such persons (emphasis added) may not have been literate, or literate in English; they may have lacked a tradition of documenting personal experiences…” This was my call to arms!

Such persons? Not literate? Using the term Afro-Americans instead of African Americans in 2005? I couldn’t believe it! I decided that I would do the extra work and uncover these undocumented stories. Knowing that the official collections were not going to have what I was looking for, I started to ask people connected to the museum. I asked our History Interpretive Specialist, Carolee Smith, if she knew of an African American family who could trace their roots back to 1906. I contacted the Chinese Historical Society of America  located in San Francisco about their constituency. I went to our museum’s Latino Advisory Council, Asian Pacific Advisory Council, and African American Advisory Council in search of these untold stories. I also got connected to Taren Sapienza , longtime coordinator of the Lotta’s Fountain annual event, to see if she knew of people who might want to share their story with me.

As I started to find people and family’s with diverse stories, I realized that the exhibit needed to show how these stories were not from random people; instead, these people were part of communities, all affected by the disaster. I asked the exhibit’s chief historical consultant, John Freeman, to put together a “Map of Diversity” showing the plurality of San Francisco’s population in 1906. It is one of the first graphics you see when entering the show and is one of my favorite elements of the exhibit. Along with the charting of these communities, the exhibit has personal stories panels highlighting the reality of the disaster and the perseverance of the human spirit. So save your money the next time a friend asks you to go see a psychic; instead, check out Aftershock! Voices from the 1906 Earthquake and Fire.

Jane Po

An old friend of mine has been following this blog for a while (he’s one serious blogger , btw). In one of our IM  sessions, our quake-themed conversation meandered to the topic of things that arise from calamities such as earthquakes and wars, what some folks would call historical accidents. Or unplanned consequences. Anyway…

While googling for sources on the reconstruction of San Francisco post-April 1906, I came upon this article, entitled Ripples from 1906 San Francisco Quake Felt Even Today , from the Seattle Times. In the same way that the quake of ’06 laid the foundation for modern earthquake science, the few minutes that the earth shook on April 16, 1906 changed the state’s economic, cultural, social and geological landscape, and in a huge way! Like why LA is now Cali’s numero uno city (a fact that grates on the nerves of a few NoCal folks). Or why we’re not experiencing quakes as often as we should be (the article calls this a “seismic reprieve”).

With this in mind, what unplanned consequences are in store for New Orleans ?

Jane Po

I found these videos  while looking for answers. These were taken by a security camera in the midst of a 6.8er in Seattle. In the first one, everyone was trying to squeeze between door frames. Know what? To paraphrase Judge Judy , "Door frame is not an answer." Instead look for a sturdy piece of furniture, such as a heavy desk or table, and take cover under it. Or crawl under your bed or use your mattress (Fire Chief Dennis Sullivan’s wife survived in '06 because a mattress saved her life ). Unless they’re load-bearing, no door frames, also because they don’t provide you with adequate protection against falling objects or flying glass. Watch the video again. Note the aluminum door frames. Step on an empty beer can as you’re watching it. You get my drift.

Another tip: don’t run outside unless you know that the area is free from objects that may fall on you. Or fly in your direction and decapitate you. Not gonna be pretty. And if you’re on the road, pull over. Make sure there are no trees or utility poles around. Avoid bridges, especially. AND, unless you want to relive the drama of the Ham-and-Eggs Fire , DO NOT light a match.

Check out the FEMA site for other things you should do DURING an earthquake .

Jane Po

The quake’s impact on these scientific disciplines cannot be underestimated. In seismology, for example, USGS  seismologist Mary Ann Toback dates much of what is known today about horizontal earth movement to 1906, 60 years prior to the discovery of plate tectonics. Structural engineer Charles Kircher of Kirchner and Associates and Prof. Stephen Tobriner of UC Berkeley’s Department of Architecture  discussed the evolution of earthquake-resistant architecture by studying structures that survived the big quake, notably the Mint  and the Call Building  (the building was destroyed by fire, not by earth movement). Rich Eisner, regional administrator, coastal region of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services  stressed the importance of disaster mitigation based on real-life experiences.

The spirited discussion was enlivened further by a very involved audience (which included out-of-state phone callers). Listen to the broadcast —it's intelligent, yet sprinkled with enough humor to keep you engaged.

Jane Po

Just when I thought all the earthquake hoopla was over, I found this card hanging on my door over the weekend. I guess with Berkeley sitting on top of the Hayward Fault, the city’s not taking any chances. Word is we’re next in line for the Big One.

No space was wasted on this piece. The back had Berkeley’s signature 5 critical steps for disaster preparedness. On the bottom was a return card in case you want to get involved in community preparedness, from being added to Berkeley’s emergency preparedness list to volunteering in neighborhood preparedness planning (pre-paid postage, too!).

What I liked best was it came with a fridge magnet that includes Berkeley’s 7-digit emergency number and Berkeley’s preparedness web site  address. I think it'll look great next to my Microsoft poetry magnets (yeah, they exist!).

Jane Po

Last night, I finally found time to read the much-publicized report on what it would cost to rebuild San Francisco in the event of another supershaker. The document, prepared by Risk Management Solutions  and Stanford University, is aptly called The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire: Perspectives on a Modern Super Cat(pdf) . A Super Cat in this case refers, not to a Garfield-esque feline but rather, to a Super Catastrophe such as the quake of ’06 or Hurricane Katrina.

The report is a compelling read. I’ve previously seen accounts about the city’s speed and determination to rebuild  right after the quake of ’06, but this was the first time I actually saw dollar amounts affixed to the reconstruction effort:

“...A year after the earthquake, there were 50,000 men engaged in rebuilding (an increase of 150% from before the earthquake) with an average builder’s wage of $4 per day—a wage that was said to be higher than in any other city in the world. In 1909, wages had continued to rise; for example, masons were being paid $12 for an 8-hour work day. High prices of materials as well as haulage and freight rates added expense to the task of rebuilding. However, the decision to pay regardless of cost meant that rebuilding was accomplished with remarkable energy and speed.

In the lumber town of Fort Bragg, the surge in the demand for timber from San Francisco and other areas caused an economic boom that more than offset the damage to the town from the earthquake and subsequent fire.”

The paper estimates that a present-day disaster of the same magnitude would cause $50-80 billion in insured losses. I wonder if we would have the same determination to rebuild at all cost?

Jane Po

Calamities are the Universe’s way of saying RE-ORG! Fortunes are created or lost, alliances are forged or severed, and communities rise or die. Two examples of the latter—Japantown and Daly City—come to mind.

Prior to 1906, San Francisco’s Japanese enclaves were located in Chinatown and the South of Market . Following the destruction of these two areas during the fire of ’06, the Japanese resettled in the Western Addition. The neighborhood, now known as Japantown, was born. It celebrates its 100th anniversary this year , acknowledging its existence to the Great Quake.

Daly City is another community that was born from the quake of ’06. The area was originally home to a dairy farm owned by John Daly . In the days after the quake, Daly opened his farm to refugees fleeing the city. Daly soon realized that it made more sense to turn his farm into residential land. In 1907, he subdivided his property and developed it. A good number of the original refugee shacks were hauled to the soon-to-become Daly City, and these were converted into real homes for its new residents.

Postlude: On the subject of re-orgs. When the Japanese-American residents of Japantown were interned during World War II, a significant portion of the newly vacated neighborhood, now known as the Lower Fillmore , was repopulated by African-Americans.

Jane Po

The big earthquake anniversary has come and gone, and you’re probably tired of reading about what happened in ’06, earthquake science and preparedness. But how much of it are you keeping in your head? I wanted to know myself so I looked for some cool earthquake quizzes online. I tried and tested them... and got hooked. Interested? Here are a few. I included some which are supposedly for kids, but you’d be surprised how these can make you feel, well, pretty stupid ‘cause they show just how little you actually know.

If you like 1906 trivia, try:
• ABC-TV/KGO 7’s 1906 Earthquake Trivia Challenge 
• PBS American Experience’ The Great San Francisco Earthquake Quake Quiz 

Science buff? Test how much you know about P-Waves:
• UC Santa Barbara Institute for Crustal Studies’ Understanding Earthquakes Quiz 
• Florida International University’s Introduction to Earth Science Practice Quiz 
• Kids’ Newsroom.org’s Earthquake Quiz  (If you get the right answer, the checkbox generates a smiley emoticon.)
• Physical Sciences Information Gateway’s Earthquake Quiz  (My personal favorite; you enter your name and it ranks your score against others who’ve taken the quiz.)
• UC Davis Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics’ Online Earthquake Quiz 
• Swiss Seismological Service’s Earthquake Quiz for Kids 
• NASA Jet Propulsion Lab’s Earthquake Quiz  (I like this one, too. Maybe because it taps into my inner geek.)

Ok, just how prepared are you? See for yourself:
• Firepal.org’s Earthquake Safety Quiz 
• Advanceonline.com’s Earthquake Survival Quiz 

Want more? Call Alex Trebek .

Jane Po

(This is the final installment of the childhood account of "guest blogger" J.J. Conlon. In 1982, J.J. Conlon, whose career at Wells Fargo spanned 46 1/2 years, wrote his recollection of the 1906 earthquake. He seven years old when the disaster occurred.)

The nation and the world were generous in the aid sent to the city’s inhabitants. Relief stations were set up throughout the city, our Haight-Ashbury Station being located in the Young Men’s Hebrew Association building on Page near Stanyan Street. Here our relatives drew their rations. Father would not permit his immediate family to draw rations because his salary continued.

Notwithstanding his admonishments, I was not above getting in the relief line occasionally, with young friends, when such delicacies as cookies, jams, or canned fruits were being dispensed. For a time our water was rationed under control of the National Guard from a spring near the present University of California Medical Center School .

Mrs. Ella F. Murray, a friend and former neighbor on Nob Hill, asked rather to hire some young men to salvage bronze statuary from the ruins of her home. When the job was finished she insisted on his keeping six pieces. These relics were kept by my Father, and later by me, in sacks in our various basements until they could be cleaned of the debris welded to them by the heat of the flames. After Father’s death, I planned to give them to the Wells Fargo Bank Historical Collection as relics of the Fire. My plan did not take into consideration a woman and her periodic housecleaning rampage. Notwithstanding their being sacked and neatly stored, they went out one day with garbage while I was in the hospital.

The fire was no sooner controlled on Friday, April 20th, than human activities rapidly began to return to normal. Work of all kinds was plentiful. Many of the Fire Companies from the burned districts, temporarily not needed, were discontinued . This made possible leaves of absence to firemen who returned to former pursuits. The Department was full of highly skilled men, attracted to the fire service by the steady employment.

All good things in a youngster’s life must and, and all too soon. About October lst our April-October vacation was over. Principal Alice Chalmers and her dedicated staff of Jackson Primary School on Oak near Stanyan Street, in welcoming us back, I am sure, overlooked our glum looks.

May the children of San Francisco, or any place, never again enjoy such an experience as mine.

Jane Po

There are not many accounts of how people of color fared during the quake of ’06 . Hard to imagine, considering that San Francisco already had a pretty diverse population at the time. I guess those silenced voices are still finding their way to the mainstream and, slowly, making themselves heard.

At the Oakland Museum’s Aftershock! Voices from the 1906 Earthquake and Fire, the African-American experience was finally heard. It was fitting that the museum chose to feature the faces of an African-American man and woman on the cover of the exhibit’s brochure. It must not have been an easy task to look for buried history. Throughout the exhibit, I can only remember ONE photograph which actually situated African-Americans at the scene of the disaster. Initially the museum was going to give us permission to reproduce it on this blog, but folks there found out that even they had to buy reproduction rights to the image. Anyway, I was quite ecstatic to find it on PBS’ American Experience web site  because I felt it was important to share it with a wider audience.

I was also excited to find this video  featuring the descendant of Henry Penwright Johnson, an African-American man who survived the quake and moved to the East Bay, and whose account figured prominently in the Oakland Museum’s quake exhibit. I hope we hear more of these voices in the future.

Jane Po

Next, check out the ABAG Home Quake Safety Toolkit . If all you need is a non-structural retrofit, such as securing bookcases or strapping your heater, you can probably do most of the work yourself. For tips and how-tos, read this guide entitled Is Your Home Protected from Earthquake Disaster  from the Institute for Business and Home Safety’s web site. It's easy to understand and contains useful illustrations, too. It also features a great section that groups retrofit projects by cost.

If the work at hand involves a simple structural retrofit, like bolting your foundation or reinforcing cripple walls, download do-it-yourself brochures  from the city of San Lorenzo, California's web site. You may also want to see if your local government offers classes on home retrofitting . Going hardcore? Check out ABAG’s Training Materials for Seismic Retrofit of Wood-Frame Homes . You’ll be discussing the virtues of shear walls with your poker buddies in no time.

However, if you’d rather not summon your inner Bob Vila , there are plenty of online resources for finding a competent home inspector , contractor or structural engineer near you.

Jane Po

One of my twice-weekly, self-assigned tasks is to check the USGS site for any interesting new features on its web site. Today, it seems like I hit a little pot of gold! To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Great Earthquake and Fire, USGS has decided to reshoot George Lawrence’s famous panoramic aerial photo  of post-quake San Francisco called San Francisco in Ruins, using a more advanced version of Kite Aerial Photography .

Watch USGS photographer Scott Haefner and the rest of the USGS crew as they stage the photoshoot(MOV)  off San Francisco Bay. Click on the left-hand-side image to view San Francisco in Ruins' updated sibling.

If you're into then-and-now images of San Francisco, check out After the Ruins, 1906 and 2006: Rephotographing the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, which runs at the Palace of the Legion of Honor till May 28.

Jane Po

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety Inspection and Service (FSIS/SDA) has an excellent fact sheet on food safety during an emergency . The fact sheet tells you which foods can be re-saved or should be discarded after they’ve been exposed to certain temperatures. The Centers for Disease Control also offers excellent food storage advice , plus tips on how to sanitize food preparation devices, cooking utensils and baby feeding supplies should they get exposed to contaminated water.

If you operate a food establishment, you may want to check out FSIS/FDA’s Guidelines for Retail and Foodservice Establishments Affected by Natural or Other Disasters .

Don’t even think of tasting food to determine its safety. And just because the food doesn’t look funny means its okay to eat it. Looks can be just as deceiving (do you know where Botox  comes from?). Remember: When in doubt, throw it out.

Jane Po

J.J. Conlon’s story about reminded me of the rhyme, What Are Little Boys Made Of? Except, of course, J.J.'s wasn’t about frogs and snails and puppy dogs’ tails. His was all about (ewww) RATS! Which leads to…

Soon after the quake, bubonic plague made a return engagement in the city . When the plague made its first appearance a few years before the quake, it was easy to deny that the disease existed to the general public. However, the quake left the sewer and water systems in such a state of disrepair that these critters were running all over the place.

Luckily, the city's rat eradication campaign was put under the charge of Rupert Blue , an assistant surgeon in the Marine Hospital Service (forerunner of today's Centers for Disease Control). He got the public and the state and local governments to work together in eliminating the disease. He became the U.S. Surgeon General in 1912. Today, the bubonic plague campaign of 1907 is considered a landmark in public health.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health  set up an excellent website chronicling the state of public health during and after the quake of '06. It's got great stories about the city's emergency services , and facts on how sanitation, food and water conditions were handled , but it's definitely not all sugar and spice and everything nice. If you want to check out more pictures of rats  and broken sewers , you really gotta see it.

WARNING: Do not view before meals.

Jane Po

(This is the third installment of the childhood account of "guest blogger" J.J. Conlon. In 1982, J.J. Conlon, whose career at Wells Fargo spanned 46 1/2 years, wrote his recollection of the 1906 earthquake. He seven years old when the disaster occurred.)

There was a bubonic plague  scare shortly after the fire and because the fleas on rats were carriers of the germs, the city paid a bounty for dead rats. These bounty payments were my introduction to the functions of the "middle man." An older lad enriched himself by paying the neighborhood youngsters with candy for dead rats that he exchanged for cash at the repaired Emergency Hospital. The fire drove thousands of rats into our district and Mother was horrified by them. Consequently, to avoid attracting them, all were instructed to securely cover garbage cans .

Every morning, after the women had deposited the breakfast trash in the cans, I would remove the covers. Returning in about an hour, I would inspect the galvanized cans and if any rats were trapped therein, cans were tipped so that my Fox Terrier could kill the emerging rodent; then to the middle man for candy.

Two of my teen-age cousins also disliked rats and while their family was living in the basement, the girls never could accept what they called the night roamings of these “canaries.” As our refugees gradually left us. The girls with their parents were quartered on the first floor. Uncle Ed, their father, was a strict disciplinarian and whenever the girls, in their youthful exuberance, violated his 9 o’clock curfew and stayed out until, say, 9:07 with their boy friends, it was: "Down into the basement with the Canaries, my fair ones, until you learn to return home on time."

This was drastic punishment and notwithstanding pleas, sentences were always carried out with a temporary improvement in deportment, until some young swain caused further tardiness.