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CORVALLIS, Ore. - An analysis of the response to great earthquakes in San Francisco, in 1906 and 1989, suggests that people are often more interested in quickly getting their life back to normal than addressing the structural problems in buildings that may have caused their destruction in the first place.

This may offer lessons for the rebuilding task facing a Gulf Coast region shattered by three major hurricanes this year - if people are willing to learn from history rather than repeat it.

The research, done by a geographer at Oregon State University, examined ways in which private and public buildings were rebuilt following major earthquake catastrophes of the past.

"After 1906 and even more so after 1989, a lot was learned in San Francisco and other parts of the Bay Area about what types of structures and locations are most vulnerable to earthquakes, and what building techniques can be used to address that," said Monika Moore, a geosciences graduate student. "But that information did not always make it down to individuals, people were under financial and personal stress, and a lot of the decisions on how to rebuild were often haphazard or uninformed."

Those decisions, Moore said, were heavily driven by the desire of people to regain a sense of normalcy and physical comfort as soon as possible, and often resulted in structures being rebuilt in locations that were vulnerable, and without regard for the structural issues that had caused damage during the earthquakes.

"The California building codes are pretty stringent, but inspections can't catch everything and sometimes people are just determined to get their lives back to normal," Moore said. "For instance, the Marina District in the Bay Area was built on top of bay fill and extremely prone to soil liquefaction during an earthquake. Scientists knew buildings constructed there were prone to catastrophic failure. But the degree of damage in 1989 didn't dissuade people from wanting to live there, and the structures went right back up where they had just collapsed."

Another instance was a popular style of construction called "soft-story" in which buildings had large garages or carports on the first floor with the structure essentially sitting overhead on large pilings, a style that is inherently vulnerable to earthquakes. Because it is popular and efficient, new structures are still built this way despite their hazardous nature, Moore said.

According to Moore, one of the best solutions to this issue - and one that occasionally happens - is a strong effort led by local government after a natural disaster, using reason and education as much or more than rules and regulation. This can lead individuals to better understand the range of risks they face in various areas - whether it's from earthquakes, hurricanes, floods or other disasters - and make more informed decisions about how to move ahead in the future.

A serious effort to address this issue must consider individual behavior and attitudes as much as building designs, regulations or geographic issues, Moore said. And she knows a little about the feelings following a disaster.

"I understand how these people feel," said Moore, a former Bay Area resident. "In seventh grade I was home with a friend in a three-story wood frame building in Alameda, Calif., when the 1989 earthquake hit, and the whole building was swaying. We were on the top floor and it felt very flimsy, although apparently it had also withstood the huge 1906 quake.

"But the whole event was kind of surreal. My mom came home from work crying, I was terrified, and everyone seemed to be anxious for a long time. Events such as these make a huge impression on people and with good reason they want their lives to get back to normal."

Among other things, that event shaped Moore's interests in geosciences, and she is pursuing a career in research on natural hazards. And more recently, Moore said, she has been in touch with friends and family who had damage to their home in New Orleans. A tree fell on their house, it has holes in the roof, major water damage, and only part of the house has regained electricity.

"After an event like that, life has a sense of immediacy," Moore said. "You want things back the way they were and you don't necessarily want to take the time to rebuild a more resistant structure. That's what appeared to have happened in San Francisco, and that's probably the way a lot of people will feel after these hurricanes. But the aftermath of a disaster can be the best time to act if we hope to prevent more damage in the future."