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I, 

The National Guard 
can be called out to 
help clean up floods. 

Often the survivors themselves will help after a disaster. 

The 1989 earthquake disrupted San Francisco's traffic light 
system, so residents of some neighborhoods took to the 
streets to direct traffic with flashlights. Usually the impact 
of the disaster is so great that civilians cannot bring calm 
and order themselves. In fact, the disorder may be too great 
for local police departments to handle. In that case, outside 
forces may be brought in to help. 
In the United States, the National Guard plays a key 
role in bringing order to disaster areas. The National Guard 
is officially a part of the United States Army, .but one of its 
primary missions is to help out after disasters. Following 

a disaster National Guard forces protect property, move 
people away from danger, and work with relief groups. 
Some of the worst health problems occur well after a 
natural disaster has hit. In a similar way, some of the worst 
destruction happens hours, or even days, after the initial 
disaster has ended. The events surrounding the 1906 San 
Francisco earthquake illustrate this perfectly. 
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Badges like the one shown here 
help people identify rescue 
workers following a disaster. 

The 1906 San Francisco 
earthquake caused a huge 
amount of destruction. But 
the worst damage came not 
from the earthquake, but rather 
from the fires that were started by broken gas lines. 
The fires raged through San Francisco for four days, 
causing damages estimated at $500 million, an amount 
equal to billions and billions of dollars in today's money. 
In combination with the earthquake, the fires left 200,000 
people homeless, out of a total population of 450,000. 
Nowadays, to prevent this kind of damage from 
happening again, firefighters work quickly to put out any 
fires started by earthquakes and other natural disasters. 
Crews of workers from gas and electric companies also 
work hard to find and repair any gas leaks or downed 
power lines that can cause fires. 

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