Buildings from one to five stories crumbling to the ground. Large pits, some five feet deep covering the scorched earth like craters on the moon. What is this horrific event? The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 that rocked our nation. On April 18, 1906 an earthquake hit San Francisco for mere minutes.
Have you ever heard of the 1906 earthquake? Well, it was one of the biggest California earthquakes in history. There are two primary sources, by Emma Burke, and Fred Hewitt, that create a firsthand account of the earthquake. Both Burke and Hewitt lived through the deadly 1906 earthquake, and both experienced death, homelessness, and the casualties too great to describe. Burke wrote mostly about the aftermath of the earthquake, while Hewitt wrote about the actual earthquake as it happened.The eyewitness accounts, “Comprehending The Calamity” by Burke, and “Horrific Wreck Of The City”, by Hewitt have similar tension, but different setting.
It was said that well more than half of the buildings made of brick in the area and one-tenth of the structures that had reinforced concrete had been destroyed and collapsed. Thousands, hundreds of thousands, of houses of the residents of the area had been destroyed or were torched in the fires that ensued due to the effects of the 7.9 magnitude earthquake. The fires alone killed about 20,000 people. Some of the fires turned into firestorms and fire tornados. It took a complete two days to put out all of the fires.
Ten million California residents who lived closely from the major fault lines could have been in endangered in many extreme ways. (House, 56). A tragic thing was that after the earthquake a multitudes of fire followed right after. The situation led to the water mains being destroyed and the firefighter being left with no water to settle the growing
The massive explosion caused burning debris to shower over the surrounding buildings and onto the streets below, which made it clear that America was now under attack. The terrorist attack killed 2,977 people. This awful event left a scar on America’s society. American Airline Flight 11 was hijacked and flown into the north tower of the World Trade Center
HISTORICAL APPROACH Extremely loud and incredibly close has a big historical background. The book contains three historical instances of catastrophic viciousness. 09/11 The attacks of 09/11 has a central place in the story. All the characters in the book were moved by the death of Thomas Schell in the World Trade Center moves every character. It delivers Oskar’s big conflict when he tries to absorb all his troubles.
On page 1 of “Horrific Wreck of the City” it states, “No story will ever be written that will tell the awfulness of the thirty-hours following the terrible earthquake.” On page 1 “Horrific Wreck of the City” it states, “I saw those policemen enveloped in a shower of falling stone. Their lives must have been blotted out in an instant.” In this piece of evidence it is showing how how Fred Hewitt is saying that they the earthquake is all bad and this connects to the theme because unlike in “Comprehending the Calamity” where Emma Burke is saying the good things this is telling the horrible things in the earthquake. This is showing how the police are being
"Horrific Wreck of the City" by Fred Hewitt and “Comprehending the Calamity:” by Emma Burke are both about the same thing but the two authors opinion on how this disaster affected people are completely different. “Comprehending the Calamity” by Emma Burke and “Horrific Wreck of the City” by Fred Hewitt are two historical articles that both describe the destruction of the San Francisco earthquake in 1906 and how it affected the people. Hewitt says on page 1, “No pen can record the sufferings of those who were crushed to death or buried in the ruins that encompassed them in an instant after 5:13 o’clock Wednesday morning.” Likewise, Emma Burke says on page 2, “The fallen chimneys had torn through the ceilings into two of our rooms; the flat tin roof had thus been bent down, and now acted as a funnel. We heard an ominous drip, drip, and then a steady splash.” These pieces of evidence show both of the authors believe that this horrible earthquake destructed the city of San Francisco. Emma Burke says on page 2, “I was one of the fortunate ones, for neither personal injury nor death visited my household; but what I saw and felt I will try to give to you.” Likewise, Hewitt says on page 2, “...Sufferings of those who were crushed to death...” These
INTRODUCTION: The Bhopal disaster or Bhopal gas tragedy was an industrial accident. It happened at a Union Carbide subsidiary pesticide plant in the city of Bhopal, India. On 3 December 1984, the plant released 42 tonnes of toxic methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas, exposing more than 500,000 people to toxic gases. A mixture of poisonous gases flooded the city, causing great panic as people woke up with a burning sensation in their lungs. Thousands died immediately from the effects of the gas.
Intro On Saturday the 25th of April 2015, a major earthquake struck Kathmandu in Nepal. The quake, with a massive magnitude of 7.8, occurred because of converging tectonic plates. It was the worst earthquake recorded in the area for more than 80 years and was classified on the Mercalli Scale as VIII - very destructive. It lasted for more than 50 seconds, killing more than 9,000 citizens and injuring over 22,000 people. Scientific background Nepal sits on top of a volatile zone.