99 years ago

[essentialsaltes]

Although there are obvious logistical differences between the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and hurricane Katrina, it's interesting to compare the response.
In 1906, General Funston (on his own initiative, without Presidential authority and without forms filled out in triplicate) ordered 2,000 troops in to the city. The first looter was shot by military forces less than five hours after the quake hit. Ultimately, two hundred thousand people took advantage of the offer of free transportation given by Southern Pacific railroad. Nowadays, the airlines beg for government handouts and then file bankruptcy, so they can shaft their employees.
Sure, the situation in San Francisco was shitty for months and people were being bludgeoned to death by gangs wielding gas-pipes, but the immediate response was pretty impressive, particularly considering the fact that there was zero warning. On the other hand, it helps to have an Army post inside the city.

Comments

[zorker.livejournal.com]

I really like local history, so several years ago, when I first moved up to the Bay Area, I started looking into the 1906 quake. I found that since the 20's, every year the survivors gathered at a certain square in downtown at the time of the quake (which was some godawful early hour of the morning) to tell their stories. I was pretty excited to see they were still doing it so I decided to go.

It was really amazing on a number of levels. But they had 3 survivors there. I think they said at the time that there were like 8 still alive, with several not movable enough to attend the ceremony. One woman there, who had been a little kid at the time, told how she and her mother had been refugees in Golden Gate Park. They had hundreds of tents and the soldiers patrolled the area. They were told if they lit a candle at night, they'd be shot. Likely they were pretty paranoid about more fires. It had a pretty strong impact on me - it's one thing to read about it in a history book, but it was another thing to see this approx. 100 year old woman talk about it like it was yesterday.

[essentialsaltes.livejournal.com]

Wow! That is amazing! There are so few times that you can get a personal touch of history like that.

[(Anonymous)]

My father in law actually is one of the foremost historians on the subject of the 1906 earthquake and fire. Though he doesn't market himself as such and so noone really knows. I do know that he has attended those story telling things several times. Also, his housemate (for want of a better word for someone who is a free house boarder and just doesnt know when to leave) has finished writing a book about it too. I wouldn't be surprised if he used that coffe clatch quite a bit for sources.

Pat.
http://popepat.blogspot.com/