The monograph focuses on Anchorage, Alaska during the emergency period following the March 27, 1964 earthquake. The study takes the total Anchorage community as the unit of analysis. The organizational resources which existed at the time of the quake are first described. A set of priorities of community functions during an emergency were hypothesized. These were tested by an analysis of actual activities during the emergency. These activities were determined by fieldwork, involving interviewing and direct observation during and after the emergency period. The field work was supplemented by documentary materials. The monograph provides a detailed account of emergency activity in many segments of community life. Chronologies of critical events were compiled for all major areas of community action, particularly activities relating to the preservation of life and the restoration of essential services. The priorities actually given to various community functions closely followed the hypothesized sequences. Greater attention than was initially hypothesized was given to problems of social control and somewhat less attention was given to certain aspects of search and rescue. An explanation for these "misplaced" emphases is provided in the context of the complexities which emerge from extensive emergency activity.