Just finished A Crack in the Edge of the World: America and the Great California Earthquake of 1906
Here are a few interesting facts from the book:
- Los Angeles was a small town at the time of the earthquake, but afterwards investors were reluctant to put all of their eggs in the shaking basket of San Francisco. It was the 1906 quake that made LA the capital of the American West.
- Insurance companies were at least as badly behaved back then as they are now, coming up with all kinds of excuses for not paying. Most of the damage in San Francisco was caused by fire, which was insured. The insurers argued that the damage was caused by the shaking of the earth, which was not covered, and would try to pay between 0% and 90% of the value of the loss. German and Austrian insurance companies simply stopped answering the phone and their mail and didn’t bother to pay.
- The U.S. government very quickly mobilized all of its available resources, especially Army troops, tents, and rations, to fight the fires and shelter the homeless. There was virtually nothing more that the government could have done. The military began effective assistance within hours of the quake.
- The citizens of San Francisco, who were bright, creative, and energetic, were able to live in tent cities while rebuilding relatively quickly.
- A grand urban plan that would have made San Francisco into one of the most beautiful cities on the planet was chucked in favor of the most expedient rebuilding possible. A handful of roads were widened but no grand avenues were constructed.
- If you missed the 1906 event you may yet have your chance to experience a similar quake in a similar place. The San Andreas Fault has built up roughly as much unreleased stress as was released in the 1906 quake. It could happen tomorrow…
The book is kind of rambling and the author’s Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883
- Americans have gotten less capable in the last 100 years
- The American government has gotten less capable in the last 100 years
- New Orleans will likely never regain its relative prominence among Gulf Coast cities.
Philip,
You may draw whatever conclusions you like from this comparison. The conclusion I draw is that while in ordinary times we may muddle through with mediocre leaders, effective leadership is crucial during crises. Theodore Roosevelt was president during the San Francisco earthquake. He was a decisive, energetic and effective leader who believed in the usefulness of government and acted vigorously on his belief. Here is a statement he made immediately after the earthquake: http://www.oldandsold.com/articles27n/sanfrancisco-11.shtml.
Contrast his response with that of the Bush administration: “I don’t think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees” – shocking negligence if true but most likely a flat out lie. It is hard (for me, at least) to avoid concluding that Bush was not competent to deal with this or any other crisis, to direct complex operations or to motivate individual citizens to behave according to any but the lowest, most contemptible standards of self-interest.
“A grand urban plan that would have made San Francisco into one of the most beautiful cities on the planet…”
You’ve peaked my interest because I already consider SF one of the most beautiful cities on the planet.
Regarding the last 3 points, while I won’t refute them, I will say that having lived in New Orleans for several years pre-Katrina, I place far more blame on local government than anything the feds did or didn’t do.
jbc15: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1906_San_Francisco_earthquake talks a bit about the grand plan by http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Burnham for rebuilding San Francisco with big avenues, parks, etc. (sort of the way that Paris was rebuilt by Haussmann in the 1850s. I could not find a full copy of this plan online, though apparently thousands of copies were printed and I don’t see how copyright could still apply.
Peter: Thanks for the Roosevelt link. Because communications and transportation were a bit slower in those days (telegraph and rail instead of Internet and airplane), it seems that local military commanders had a bit more authority than they might have today. Even before orders had been received from Washington, the local Army officers had mobilized.
Regarding your last 3 built items, isn’t this because today Americans are 1) more dependent on government vs. family members, and 2) expect “more” out of life vs. the status quo?
#1: Back in 1900’s, families were larger, lived together and closer longer, and depended on each other for survivor. There was little government programs, and no SS – you depended on your children and immediate family for retirement or whatever emergency you have. When government intervened, it was very limited, just to get you on your feet. This made the job of the government much simpler, and survivor skill much better.
#2: Back in 1900’s, Americans didn’t have today’s “luxury” such as constant electricity, clean water, in home private shower, toilette or bedroom. Hack, today, if we lose power for 1 hours, it’s considered an “emergency” and an investigation is demanded! This made Americans a better survivor, who is already familiar with hardships vs. complaining.
In short, 1900’s Americans were much more tolerant and family dependent than we are today. They know how to survive on their own then depended on goverment.