San Francisco City Hall after the 1906 Earthquake. Steinbrugge Collection of the UC Berkeley Earthquake Engineering Research

Learning from history: a practical guide to disaster

From: KALW
Length: 22:46

One hundred years ago, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake ripped along the San Andreas Fault, rocking Northern California and sparking fires that torched the city of San Francisco. It became an example of how American civilization could be totally devastated by a simple shudder from Mother Nature. Within the last five years, the U.S. has experienced catastrophic events that have tested our resolve, and our readiness, for the next big one. We have learned that the agencies responsible for protecting Americans in the event of an emergency are fallible. So when the next disaster strikes, the question is: are we prepared? Read the full description.

Piece Audio

Playing: Learning from history: a practical guide to disaster
From: KALW

Picture_2_small One hundred years ago, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake ripped along the San Andreas Fault, rocking Northern California and sparking fires that torched the city of San Francisco. It became an example of how American civilization could be totally devastated by a simple shudder from Mother Nature. Within the last five years, the U.S. has experienced catastrophic events that have tested our resolve, and our readiness, for the next big one. We have learned that the agencies responsible for protecting Americans in the event of an emergency are fallible. So when the next disaster strikes, the question is: are we prepared?

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Piece Description

Broadcast History

KALW 91.7FM:
March 15, 2011

Transcript

One hundred years ago, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake ripped along the San Andreas Fault, rocking Northern California and sparking fires that torched the city of San Francisco. It became an example of how American civilization could be totally devastated by a simple shudder from Mother Nature.

Within the last five years, the U.S. has experienced catastrophic events that have tested our resolve, and our readiness, for the next big one. We have learned that the agencies responsible for protecting Americans in the event of an emergency are fallible. So when the next disaster strikes, the question is: are we prepared?

* * *

HOLLY KERNAN: The night of April 17, 1906, the city of San Francisco blazed in all of its cultural glory. The Mission Opera House hosted the world’s greatest tenor, Enrico Caruso, performing in Bizet’s “Carmen.” Across town, gamblers and call girls played deep into...
Read the full transcript