San Francisco-1906

Date: April 18, 1906

Magnitude: 7.8 on the Richter Scale

Cause

A powerful earthquake struck Northern California at 5:12 am on April the 18th, 1906. This happened because the stress building up on the San Andreas Fault had been released when the Juan de Fuca plate and the North American Plate jerked free, releasing seismic waves. The epicentre was near San Francisco, which was why San Francisco suffered the most damage. The earthquake could be felt from Southern Oregon to South of Los Angeles and inland as far as central Neveda.

Effects

More then 3000 people died. There were 498 deaths in San Francisco, 64 deaths in Santa Rosa and 102 deaths in and near San Jose and more deaths in other samll town areas. About 225,000 people were made homeless. A total of 28,188 buildings were lost. The monetary loss amounted to more then $400 million.

The total length or rupture of the fault was approximately 290 miles(470 kilometres).

Eyewittness Account

Mary De White, 96 years old.

" At that time, I was only 6 years old. That fateful night, my family and I were all sleeping. Suddenly, the ground started shaking violently and we were thrown of our beds. We tried to stand up but kept falling down. Somehow, we made it out of our house. The whole city was devastated and a great fire was raging. People were lying all over the street and moaning. I saw a man pinned under a pole. The whole house was on fire. He watched helplessly as a policeman and a few others tried to pull him out of the rubble. When the fire started to burn his clothes, he started screaming and begged to be killed. The helpless policeman took down his name and address and then shot him through the head. For days my family was homeless. The great fire that had raged for three days in San Francisco had destroyed our house and belongings and practically the whole of San Francisco. The fire killed my brother. Somehow, we managed to survive and pick up our lives. It was a terrible time for all of us."

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