Today marks the centennial of the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. I think San Francisco is a perfect example of how a city can be rebuilt and come alive again after a major disaster. I've been to S.F. a couple of times and just love it there. It's hard to believe that 100 years ago today, it looked like THIS:
This is a view taken from Telegraph Hill looking west to Russian Hill. That's the National Shrine of St. Francis of Assis there in the center, now completely rebuilt. It's the oldest church in San Francisco, dating to 1849.
Between the quake damage and subsequent fires, there wasn't much left standing in the heart of the city. It reminds me of photos of bombed-out cities during WWII... just bricks and rubble and the shells of buildings, with people surviving as best they can.
I hope people in the Gulf States can take heart in San Francisco's rebirth and eventual growth. It may take years to rebuild the hurricane damage of last year and it might not be exactly the same as before the storms... but it can be done.
100 years ago, people complained about the government red tape, just as they do now in New Orleans. They literally wanted to tar and feather the relief committee... just as now, there continue to be problems with hurricane relief efforts. And there was plenty of politicking that got in the way of relief and reconstruction.
But reconstruction did happen. Hotels reopened and homes and businesses were rebuilt, bit by bit. The telephones came back in operation, giving the city access to the outside world. The spirit of the city, and the people in that city, lived on. And a new and beautiful San Francisco emerged from the ashes.
It just proves that people can move mountains when they really want to.
