1906 San Francisco Earthquake

The great earthquake that shook San Francisco on April 18, 1906 is one of the most devastating earthquakes faced by mankind. The epicenter of this crushing earthquake was 2 miles from the city of San Francisco. It affected an estimated area of 375,000 square miles, covering Coos Bay in Oregon to Los Angeles and as far as Central Nevada.

Earthquake in San Francisco

The earthquake was caused by a break on the San Andreas Fault, which runs through California covering a distance of 800 miles, from Salton Sea to the south and Cape Mendocino to the north. The earthquake devastated 296 miles of northern segment of the fault. The first tremor was felt around 5.12 am in the morning throughout the bay areas of San Francisco, and 20 to 25 seconds later, the earthquake wrecked havoc with an estimated magnitude of 7.8 on moment magnitude scale. However, on the Richter scale, it was recorded as 8.5.

Coupled with the consequent fire, it caused by the rupture of the gas mines ravaged the city. This was worsened by the attempt on the part of the inexperienced firemen to create fire breaks by demolishing buildings using dynamite. Instead of preventing the fire, the dynamited buildings helped it to spread further. The fire itself destroyed almost 25,000 buildings, and burnt for four days. It was estimated to be the cause of almost 90% of the total damage. Moreover, water mains were also destroyed by the earthquake, leaving few resources in the hands of the fire department.

Though initially the official estimation of death toll was 376, but later it went up to a figure of about 3,000. Out of the total casualties, most had been reported from the city of San Francisco, while 189 were reported from the Bay areas. Besides San Francisco, other cities like Santa Rosa, San Jose and Stanford also endured heavy losses. Out of the total inhabitants of 410,000 in San Francisco, almost 225,000 to 300,000 people were rendered homeless because of the earthquake. The loss of property was estimated to be more than $400 million, while according to the estimate of the insurance industry, it was almost $235 million.

It was so strong that it changed the course of river Salinas, the largest river of the central coast of California. It left a lasting impression on the city of San Francisco, which was the ninth largest city of United States, and one of the most important centers of culture and trade before the earthquake. It destroyed almost 80% of the city, which for the time being halted the growth and development of the city.

Immediately after the earthquake, rehabilitation and reconstruction plans were devised. Contributions poured from countries like England and Canada. Many citizens and business enterprises also contributed to the relief efforts. However, these were not sufficient and hence, ultimately the burden of reconstruction fell on the shoulders of rich members of the society. On the other hand, insurance companies had to pay a staggering amount of $235 to $265 million for fire damage, one of the worst situations faced by them. The relief efforts of that time are one of the biggest that has been undertaken by United States till today.

The earthquake of 1906 was so menacing that it left a long-lasting effect in United States, especially in San Francisco. It is still remembered by the people of United States and recently, its centenary was commemorated in 2006, which was attended by the eleven survivors.