Category Archives: Earthquakes

San Francisco destroyed by earthquake – archive, 19 April 1906

Posted on by

19 April 1906: Thousands of buildings were either damaged or destroyed, and several hundred persons killed

New York, Wednesday
Early this morning a violent earthquake wrecked the business quarter of the city of San Francisco, and an appalling fire completed the devastation. All the land wires were broken, and for some hours the United States was in an agony of suspense. The absence of authentic news produced the wildest rumours. Now that communication has been partially restored the story is scarcely less alarming, for it is known that not less than 1,500 people have perished, and some estimates place the figure ultimately at more than double that number.

Related: Mark Oliver on the 100th anniversary of the San Francisco quake

Continue reading...

Strong earthquake hits Indonesia, triggering brief tsunami warning

Posted on by

Authorities warn considerable damage to poorly built structures possible in Sulawesi from 6.8-magnitude quake

A strong 6.8-magnitude earthquake has rocked eastern Indonesia, reportedly killing one person and triggering a brief tsunami warning that sent panicked residents fleeing to higher ground.

The quake struck at a relatively shallow depth of 17 kilometres off the east coast of Sulawesi island, the US Geological Survey said. A 7.5-magnitude quake and tsunami struck near the city of Palu on the other side of the island last year, killing more than 4,300 people.

Continue reading...

Fukushima disaster: first residents return to town next to nuclear plant

Posted on by

Parts of Okuma are open for business once again, but only a few hundred former residents have moved home

A town next to the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant partially reopened on Wednesday, eight years after a triple meltdown forced tens of thousands of people in the area to flee.

About 40% of Okuma, which sits immediately west of the plant, was declared safe for residents to make a permanent return after decontamination efforts significantly reduced radiation levels.

Continue reading...