Post-Earthquake Public Information Infrastructures

Californians and their Earthquakes: Post-Earthquake Public Information Infrastructures By Megan Finn A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Information Management and Systems in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, Chair Professor Paul Duguid Professor Coye Cheshire Professor Richard Walker Fall 2012 Abstract California and their Earthquakes: Post-Earthquake Public Information Infrastructures by Megan Finn Doctor of Philosophy in Information Management and Systems University of California, Berkeley Professor AnnaLee Saxenian, Chair This dissertation analyzes Californians’ information infrastructure after three Bay Area earthquakes: 1868 Hayward Fault Earthquake, 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, and 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. I use qualitative and historical research approaches, focusing on documents produced by state and local governments, newspapers and letters by Californians. In my analysis, I employ the construct of “information infrastructure” from the field of Science and Technology Studies to describe the complex constellation of practices, technology and institutions that underpins the public sphere. Four themes help develop the idea of public information infrastructure: continuity, reach, informational authority and multiple infrastructures. First, major disruptions such as earthquakes challenge the continuity of public information infrastructure while making infrastructure visible. For example, after the 1906 earthquake and fire, refugees had to reassemble their social geography. Friends, loved ones, employers and employees all wanted to locate each other and notify others of their well-being. While the physical information infrastructure was destroyed, the ways that people worked and organized was not. Thus, with some work-arounds, information infrastructure within San Francisco was reassembled to working order. Second, I look at one of the qualities of information infrastructure that is considered fundamental – that of the reach of infrastructure across space. In 1868, the circulation of documents to far away audiences shaped the earthquake narrative locally. Third, I examine claims to informational authority. My dissertation begins in 1868, at a time when there were not shared scientific earthquake descriptors such as magnitude, when it took weeks for a newspaper to travel from San Francisco to New York, and when there was no professionalized class of “responders” or specialized government response. The Chamber of Commerce claimed the authority to explain the earthquake. The bureaucratization of disaster response and the rise of scientific explanations for earthquakes shaped infrastructure and information practices, such that by the 1989 earthquake government officials claimed the authority to 1 explain what had happened. The intertwining of science, the state, and infrastructure helped constitute and legitimize a new set of informational authorities, and provide a lens with which to design post-disaster information systems and policy today. Last, I argue that there is not just one information infrastructure, but multiple infrastructures supporting multiple publics. Alternate infrastructures supported Chinese people in 1906 and Spanish- speakers in 1989 when attempting to get aid or find loved ones. My research ties together how technology, media organizations, government institutions, and scientific explanations of earthquakes contribute to a sensemaking epistemology for Californians. 2 Table of Contents Acknowledgements………………………………………………………..ii Introduction……………………………………………………………….1 Research Approach………………………………………………………..15 1868 Hayward Fault Earthquake…………………………………………..46 1906 Earthquake and Fire………………………………………………....82 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake…………………………………………......118 Conclusion………………………………………………………………..152 References………………………………………………………………...162 Appendix: Essay on Sources……………………………………………....178 Appendix: Bay Area Population…………………………………………...196 Appendix: Earthquake Location Map……………………………………..197 i Acknowledgements I had so much fun working on this dissertation! An NSF Dissertation Improvement Grant covered most research-related costs. The California State Archives, the California State Libraries, San Francisco Public Library, California Historical Society, the National Archives, The Society of California Pioneers, and the University of California Libraries and Archives were key research sites for me. A special thanks to many talented librarians and archivists at University of California, Berkeley, especially at the Bancroft Library, Interlibrary Loan, Institute for Government Study and Doe Library. These people and institutions connected me with the documents that made the stories in the following pages possible. The "Essay on Sources" in the appendix provides a lot more detail about the documents and people I worked with. I am so thankful to everyone at Berkeley’s School of Information. Lety Sanchez, Nora Pineda, Kevin Heard, Jonathan Henke, Roberta Epstein, Gary Lum and Meg St. John have made the School of Information a home throughout the dissertation process. John Chuang was a kind advocate. AnnaLee Saxenian has given me great advice and her work was a model. As Dean of the School of Information, Anno has worked to build a community with a foundation of intellectual freedom, scholarly rigor, and relationships based in respect and kindness – my work was born in that community. Working with Paul Duguid was a wonderfully stimulating and challenging experience. Paul made my graduate experience feel like a merry apprenticeship. Through course lectures and in our weekly meetings, Paul introduced me to the historical and critical perspectives that permeate this dissertation. With his delicate prodding, Paul pushed me to my best. I am so grateful for the many hours that he put into reading my work. Coye Cheshire has asked many questions throughout my graduate career that made my research better. Richard Walker provided helpful commentary on final drafts. Fred Turner was an exemplary practitioner and thoughtful critic when I was trying to conceive this project. Michael Buckland, Ray Larson and Cliff Lynch hosted the Friday Afternoon Seminar and invited me to present many early drafts. Nancy Van House and Nathan Good took me on my first qualitative research interviewing expeditions. I have a copy of "Sorting Things Out," that belonged to Peter Lyman. Inside Leigh Star had signed it with the inscription, "fellow traveler." Although I ii never met her, I count Leigh Star as a guide; and although Peter was not around, I often considered his wisdom. Books by many scholars, most of whom I will never meet, inhabit the pages of this dissertation. Being in conversation with them gave me much energy when writing got a little lonely. I'm so proud to count the all of the School of Information doctoral students as fellow travelers – they are a talented and impressive group. My senior colleagues, Vivien Petras, Yuri Takhteyev, Joe Hall, and Mahad Ibrahim were mentors in my first years. Josh Blumenstock, Christo Sims, Liz Goodman, Ashwin Mathew, and Daniela Rosner have provided important feedback on different stages of work. Elisa Oreglia has shown me how to be a patient colleague and a great researcher. I was lucky enough to be in a PhD cohort with Janaki Srinivasan, Dan Perkel and Ryan Shaw; I count them as friends and teachers. The classicists, my reading group, are the best intellectual companions that I can imagine. My San Francisco friends made me laugh often. Danielle was generous with her delicious culinary experiments. Jess frequently donated her ears, futon and prodigious editorial skills to keeping me sane. Vijay entertained me with fantastic stories. Jeannie always had my back and I hers. Jason, YunYun, Sudeep and Abby took care of me when I needed to get out of the Bay. My family, Terry, Kris, Claire, Andrew, Justin and Everett, are always ridiculously supportive in all aspects of life while reminding me not to take myself quite so seriously. This is a delicate balance for a group of indelicate people. While accepting an Emmy, comedienne Tina Fey said, "I want to thank my parents for somehow raising me to have confidence that is disproportionate with my looks and abilities. Well done." My parents deserve a similar compliment. Getting a dissertation done takes mental toughness that I have them to thank for. Claire and Andrew are also indelibly part of me; their humor, openness, adventurous spirit, and fortitude inspire me. Kenn and I have been cohabiting in a creative expanse since he promised me a ride to Santa Cruz in a convertible. His contributions to this dissertation are so great as to be impossible to list – he is a partner in every way. iii Introduction On the morning of January 9, 1857, Fort Tejon, in sparsely populated Southern California, was near the epicenter of a 7.9 magnitude earthquake on the San Andreas Fault.1 It was the largest earthquake experienced in California since statehood and felt north of Sacramento, and south to San Diego, near the state’s southern border. Only one or two deaths can be attributed to the earthquake, but risk-modeling agencies estimated that a similar earthquake in 2007 would have left $150 billion in damage.2 A Santa Barbara newspaper reported: So far as our present information extends, [the earthquake] was felt as far south as Los Angeles. It extended to Point Conception west-ward. No information has

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