If you visit this blog regularly, you'll notice some changes. They reflect an expanding scope, to cover topics beyond San Francisco's 1906 Earthquake and Fire. If you're here for the first time, thanks for stopping by—nice to have you.

When we began this blog a few months ago, it was part of San Francisco's commemoration of the centennial of the disaster. As much as remembering the tragedies of 1906, the centennial celebrated the legendary consequence of the Fire—San Francisco rebuilt itself, quickly and optimistically. The larger purpose served in the centennial was helping people become aware of "preparedness." This blog offers suggestions and provides links to help people remember what is learned from the past. By looking back, we can better plan forward.

Wells Fargo enjoys a great expanse over lots of places in the U.S. and around the world—a part of hundreds of communities. As this blog continues, our look at local responses to natural disasters will expand across that territory and anyplace else. So many things happen that challenge everyday life, in so many places: natural disasters and other occurrences are part of any region. The stories of how communities come together to recover from these challenges is the purpose of this blog.

Wells Fargo began business in San Francisco in 1852, but had offices all over the map within a few years. Our blog looked at events in our immediate area—San Francisco—for a short time, and now we'll start checking out stories across a wider territory. Feel free to send us the stories of your own experiences, or those of people you know. Because that is the best history—memories of people working together in response to big events.