Highlights From The Vault — Maps in Disaster

It’s not uncommon to be proud of the place you live… but these maps take it to another level!

In this From The Vault, we took a look at some promotional state maps from the 1890s to 1950s. Some maps use comedy to poke fun at the rest of the country, while others espouse the successes and deep history of their land to capture a potential visitor’s attention. Each state does things a little differently and we invite viewers to answer the question: “What truly is the best state around?"

A map of the mouth of the River Tagus or the Harbour of the city of Lisbon [1755–1759]

This map shows what Lisbon looked like just before the Great Earthquake of 1755 hit the region and much of the city had to be rebuilt. Dated between 1755-1759, this map is built on memories of a past Lisbon, created after its demolition. 

The earthquake and tsunami is considered one of Europe's first modern disasters. Casualties were estimated to be between 6% to 9% of Lisbon's population. The city itself, pictured in the top half of the map, was partly destroyed by the initial earthquake, but then quickly obliterated by the following 6 meter tsunami and raging fires that lasted 6 days after the earthquake. 2/3^rds  of the city needed to be rebuilt. Some of the surviving structures including The Castle of Belem pictured in the bottom left and the Convent of Carmo (#28) are still standing today. In the wake of this disaster came a renaissance in city planning by Pombal. He created buildings made of timber that were able to survive small earthquakes and installed drains under the roads to prevent flooding. Pombal was at the forefront of urban disaster planning, and his plans and scientific observations of the 1755 earthquake are still studied today.

Charles Richard Parsons, Bird's-eye view of Boston, showing the burned district (1872)

This is a birds eye view map of the area that was burned down in the 1872 Great Boston Fire. The area includes a portion of today's Financial District bordered roughly by Summer, Washington, Milk, and Broad Streets. This was published three weeks after the event which occurred on November 9 and 10 by Harpers Weekly. In their haste to provide graphic images of the disastrous event in their weekly news magazine, the editors borrowed sketches of the city compiled by Charles R. Parsons before the fire and added in a dark ink wash to detail the extent of the fire's damage. This is one of Boston’s most destructive fires; the flames engulfed more than 60 acres of some of the most valuable real estate in the city, ultimately destroying 930 businesses valued at approximately $100,000,000 (about $3.5 to $4 billion today).

Thomas W. Davis, Plan of burnt district, by fire of Nov. 9th and 10th 1872 : showing street improvements as adopted by Board of Street Commissioners and City Council (1873)

The fire destroyed many businesses in the district including Boston's publishing houses. However, the citizens' spirit and civic pride were revealed, as they quickly rebuilt and implemented reforms to fire and building codes. This 1873 map outlines the burned district, and includes plans for improving streets within that vicinity. Realizing that poorly planned and overcrowded lanes had allowed the fire to spread so easily, the City widened seventeen streets and extended four in the area. Land was cleared to create Post Office Square, new firefighting infrastructure was constructed, and a new downtown rose out of the ashes.

District within fire limit of Tokyo - 1928 (1928)

This map was published 5 years after the Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923. The prominent red of the map shows the “grade A” destruction caused by the fires that followed in the wake of the earthquakes. The Great Kantō Earthquake was one of the most destructive disasters in Japan’s history. The 7.9 magnitude earthquake occurred 40 miles outside the city. First, all non-reinforced brick buildings collapsed, then 130 separate fires started around the city as a result of the quakes. Fires are likely to follow after earthquakes because of loose material and potential gas leaks—and if it is hot and windy, like it was on September 1, 1923, in Tokyo, it’s the perfect recipe for a large fire. Fires continued to burn for two days after the initial shock, destroying 70 percent of Tokyo’s buildings.

This disaster played an important role in launching Japan into a new political era, the “Taisho Democracy,” which aligned itself with Western culture. Many people of Japan saw this disaster as a punishment for over consumerism, and after the fire, there was a push towards conservative values. The disaster also ignited feelings of nationalism and racism, as rumors spread that Koreans started the initial blaze. The Japanese government took advantage of these sentiments to re-unify the country and set the tone for Japan in the following World War.

Bureau of Land Management. New Orleans Outer Continental Shelf Office, United States, Selected hurricanes affecting the southern United States 1954-1977 [1978?]

This map portrays 36 different hurricanes that travelled through the Gulf of Mexico, affecting Central America, the Caribbean, and the South of the United States, over a 20 year period. This map also includes a colored scale of areas affected by tropical cyclones in the southern United States, with the red areas indicating high cyclone activity. The data used in the map was collected during a system-wide change in tracking technology, as the 1960s saw the beginning of satellites being used to track hurricanes.

Hurricane Hazel (October 1954, #3) can be found ending in the yellow at the top of the map. It was one of the more devastating hurricanes seen during this period, starting in the Caribbean, striking Haiti, then moving towards the Carolinas, and traveling all the way up the coast towards Canada.

National Climatic Data Center (U.S.), 2005 significant U.S. hurricane strikes (2005)

This map details 5 hurricanes from 2005, including the infamous Hurricane Katrina. Technology to detect and measure hurricanes had improved greatly by 2005, with the use of aircrafts and  satellites. Radars scientists were able to give more information than ever about storms and warn endangered populations days before a storm would arrive. However, Katrina uncovered flaws in this system including failing satellite batteries as the storm was traveling inland, and improperly secured gauges (that would have tracked Katrina’s intensity) being washed away. These factors, combined with the hurricane's unexpected re-direction towards Louisiana instead of the predicted Florida Panhandle and the lack of communication between scientists and government officials, left New Orleans blindsided and trapped in a storm that left 80% of the city flooded. This storm was remarkable not only for its level of destruction, but additionally for its role in exposing the US’s lack of disaster preparation and the racial and social inequalities that followed the disaster.

Andy Woodruff, East Boston flood risk (2023)

The most fundamental difference between the past and present in how disasters occur is our ability to prepare for them using knowledge of historical events and new technologies. This map made in 2023 shows levels of flood risk for East Boston as sea levels continue to rise, demonstrated through shades of blue. Black dots portray the risk at high tide, and the small number in the corner of each building is the amount of stories each structure has. East Boston is Boston’s most flood vulnerable area, and there are currently millions of dollars being invested into road elevation and flood walls. Since this map was made, expectations for projected sea level rise surpass the highest category visualized in this map. The communities at most risk in Boston, and other cities that will be heavily impacted by rising sea levels, are often marginalized people of color. Despite the availability of this information, concerns aren’t always considered or taken seriously by government officials… and scientists are unsure the current attempts at preparation will be effective.