SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – Dozens of San Francisco dignitaries were up before the crack of dawn this morning to commemorate the anniversary of the Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire.
For more, stream KCBS Radio now.
SF firefighters sounded their sirens just before 5:12 a.m. — the moment that the San Andreas fault jolted the region with a magnitude 7.9 quake 117 years ago.
26 aftershocks occurred following the massive quake and a raging inferno smothered the city.
Bob Sarlatte with the San Francisco Historical Society recounted to KCBS Radio what it finally took to bring the fire under control days later. "Facing the decision to blow his city to pieces or watch it burn, Mayor Schmitz finally agrees to let the army create a massive fire break in the hopes that it can stop the raging inferno," he said. "Dozens of city blocks, many of them filled with mansions, succumb to the fire."
3,000 people died in the earthquake and the subsequent aftermath.
Former SF Mayor Willie Brown said the ominous date is also a celebration of the spirit that San Francisco has to this very day. "It really gives you a complete understanding and appreciation of how magnificent this city really became as a result of that fire and the effort to rebuild it," he told KCBS Radio.
To prepare for the next big quake, Amy Vaughan, geophysicist with the United States Geological Survey, encouraged Bay Area residents to make sure their homes are up to date with earthquake protocol, to have insurance in place and to keep emergency kits somewhere in the house.
If an earthquake occurs while you are out, Vaughan advised to drop, cover and hold on. "Generally, you want to be more towards the interior of rooms and if you're outside you want to get away from buildings as quickly as possible, but again low to the ground and always protecting your head," she explained.
"This is definitely an area where seismic activity of almost any size can occur at any given moment, so it's definitely to everyone's advantage to be aware and familiar with earthquake safety preparedness and just general acceptance of the fact that you do live in earthquake country," said Vaughan.
DOWNLOAD the Audacy App
SIGN UP and follow KCBS Radio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Related
