Casualties and damage after the 1906 Earthquake

Dead - More than 3,000

• A report of U.S. Army relief operations (Greely, 1906) recorded:
  • 498 deaths in San Francisco
  • 64 deaths in Santa Rosa
  • 102 deaths in and near San Jose
• A 1972 NOAA report suggested that 700-800 was a reasonable figure.
• Gladys Hansen and Emmet Condon, after extensive research, estimated that over 3000 deaths were caused directly or indirectly by the catastrophe. The population of San Francisco at the time was about 400,000.

Homeless - 225,000

• 225,000 from a population of about 400,000. (photos)

Buildings Destroyed - 28,000

• "The 3-day conflagration following the earthquake caused substantially more damage than did the earthquake. The area of the burned district covered 4.7 square mile..." (NOAA report). By one count:
  • Wood buildings lost = 24,671 (photo)
  • Brick buildings lost = 3,168 (photos)
  • Total buildings lost = 28,188 (photos)

Monetary Loss - More than $400 million

• Estimated property damage (NOAA report): $400,000,000 in 1906 dollars from earthquake and fire, $80,000,000 from the earthquake alone. (photos)

Official account of the 1906 Earthquake and Fire

View official reports from five San Francisco City departments: Fire, Police, Library, Board of Education, and Public Works.