Earthquakes Are A Powerful Force Of Nature

The San Andreas fault line has caused constant development nightmares for large urban areas such as San Francisco as well as the other cities built on top of it. Fault lines are one of the side effects of the earth’s tectonic plates shifting that can result in devastating earthquakes. Some of the most devastating earthquakes in our modern era have occurred along the San Andreas fault line due to a dense population. The most notable and destructive earthquake on the San Andreas fault line occurred in San Francisco in 1906. The reason this earthquake was so deadly was because of its magnitude and the city’s poor planning. This earthquake was a wakeup call for San Francisco and force the city to revolutionize its knowledge on earthquakes and how to protect their city. Today San Francisco is one of the most well prepared cities for an earthquake and has made great discoveries in earthquake safety measures. The 1906 earthquake in San Francisco has drastically changed how the city has developed its zoning and building code policies, and its earthquake research.

Fault. As I researched, the reality of the potential effects to our state came into light. To be perfectly honest, I don’t think I had ever even heard of the New Madrid Fault. It could have been mentioned in my 7th grade Earth Science class, but that’s been a few years ago. As my internet investigation into the New Madrid Fault unfurled, the predictions of a massive earthquake happening in the region within the next 50 years was mentioned a number of times. So I thought I would begin my research into the history of the New Madrid Fault in regards to our state. Which lead me to think is our state prepared for an earthquake? What would the response be, not only from an emergency management point of view, but I will draw from my experience as a member of the Air National Guard.

Kathryn Schulz has provided insight of the dangers of the Cascadia Subduction Zone and the lack of our countries preparedness. Seismologist has detected and proven probability of an enormous earthquake and/or tsunami that is over due to take place along the western coast line and yet the lack of preparedness is evident. Thousands of lives will be lost due to unpreparedness.

California’s unique geography as a state makes it a very appealing place to call home. From the odd east to west transverse San Gabriel mountain ranges of the Los Angeles Basin, to the bumpy coastal ranges of the Bay Area, any person can find a compatible topographic terrain to their liking. California may seem to be the perfect place to live with its ideal climate and extensive geographic features. However, due to California’s location over the shifting continental plates, coupled with its enormous and also multiple faults, at any time this great state can fall victim to a seismic disaster. After examining evidence from both Rong-Gong Lin’s II Los Angeles Times article of April 18, 2016 and the NOVA videos Killer Quake ( 2006), Earthquake (2007), as well as Geologic Journey II – Episode 3 (The Pacific Rim: Americas) – Part 3 (San Francisco) and The Great San Francisco Earthquake (American Experience ~ 2005), one can take a comparative account of the three major earthquakes of California’s past. Although each earthquake was very devastating on is own; the Great Quake 0f 1906, the Loma Prieta quake of 1989, and the NorthRidge quake of 1994 each amounted to an extensive forfeiture of property and life. Each of these earthquakes created much suffering and loss. It is imperative for each citizen of this great state to understand the damage that a California quake can actually do and be prepared; for the threat of one always looms.

On August 24, 2014 a magnitude 6.0 earthquake occurred in and around the city of Napa, CA. The earthquake killed one person and injured over 150 people. And these people were treated at Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa [1]. More and more earthquakes occurred on this earth. So this grasps people’s attention.

• This earthquake may not have released all of the strain stored in its rocks next to the fault this reveals a potential earthquake in the Santa Cruz Mountains in the near future. The occurrence of the earthquake showed that the Earth did not exhaust all its strain and hence other earthquakes could be expected. However, the dates could not be predicted. The extent of the damage could have been much more devastating for the region, but with the earthquake occurring near the coast this made half of the felt area westward in the Pacific Ocean. The occurrence of aftershocks ten days later reinforces the unpredictability nature and hence makes Geology to be a study that is always evolving. In conclusion, the Earth and the study of cannot be exhausted as every natural occurrence provides a new puzzle to be solved.

On March 11, 2011, Japan was devastated by a 9.0 earthquake that also created a 30 foot tsunami wave. This earthquake killed 15,000 people and injured more than 6,000. It is said that every 250 years on the Cascadia fault, an earthquake larger than the one that hit Japan, erupts. Scientists have determined that the Cascadia fault hasn’t erupted in 300 years. This means that the West coast is 50 years overdue for an earthquake that is powerful enough to destroy every bit of civilization. The probability of the Cascadia earthquake erupting in our generation is extremely high because an earthquake on the Cascadia fault happens every 250 years; plus the fault is hanging by a thread and could slip at any minute.

Researchers have found that if a 9.0 magnitude earthquake strikes the U.S’s california there is a great chance that a tsunami will occur. If that happens it will cost over 70 billion dollars to repair. People around that area would only have a 15 minute notice to flee. It could destroy roads, power lines, bridges, towns, and so much more. Over 100,00 people would die at an estimate. There has been two major earthquakes. One of the earthquakes was on a sunday and at a 6.8 magnitude and the other one in 2005 was at a 7.0 magnitude. In california there has been six earthquakes over a 7.0 magnitude or greater in the past 100 years. Scientists have focused on the 9.0 earthquake and the tsunami in japan in

There are many historical disasters associated with past earthquakes. The greatest Southern California earthquake in modern history was the Fort Tejon Earthquake on January 9, 1857 that measured 8.0 on the Richter Scale. Damage was not nearly as serious as it would be today, mostly because Southern California was sparsely populated. The effects of the quake were quite dramatic, even frightening. If the Fort Tejon shock were to happen today, the damage would easily run into billions of dollars, and the loss of life would be substantial (County of Los Angeles). There were also earthquakes in China, Shansi on January 23, 1556 with damage of about 270 miles away and 830,000 in deaths, Sumatra, Indonesia on December 26, 2004 with 227,898 in deaths from the earthquake and tsunami, and in January 12, 2010 in Haiti with 222,570 deaths and

Have you noticed the amount of natural disasters that have occurred lately? Recently, natural disasters have been happening such as hurricane Harvey, Irma, and the 7.1 magnitude earthquake Mexico experienced. Sadly, California could be next to be hit from an earthquake.

The latest research results are showing an increased probability for the Los Angeles area to be hit by a magnitude of eight or higher earthquake. According to Oskin (2015), “Looking at individual faults, the southern San Andreas Fault near Los Angeles poses the greatest risk over the next 30 years, the researchers said”. This hypothetical scenario describes the possible result of a magnitude of 8 or larger earthquake in the Los Angeles area. Additionally, this paper answers questions to the sudden changes resident would have to deal with in their everyday life and the likelihood of emerging communicable diseases in the area. Furthermore, I have included a short report for local authorities to hep to prevent the situation getting worse.

Another human factor is the earthquake mitigation through education and community awareness. Schemes such as the one in Sichuan, China helped to save thousands of lives. The weekly intervals of training in case of an earthquake, educated children and adults of what to do when the quake struck. Evacuation schemes such as the window slides or hiding under tables was reported to have saved thousands when the magnitude 8.0 hit the area in 2008. However, some were not saved due to their unwillingness to move and evacuate the area. Some people of the village, notably the poorer and elderly refused to leave as they didn’t want to leave all they owned behind.

Earthquakes and their resulting effects have been a constant threat to life and livelihoods of the human race. These seismic events can have disastrous effects on a population and its infrastructure which in turn affect its economic resilience and ability to respond to future events. The way in which these events are managed has a direct impact on the wellbeing of an affected community and its socio-economic status is usually an indicator of how well these events are managed. Understanding how past events have been managed will aid in managing strategies to mitigate the effects of future events.

Purpose: Everyone will think that we are living in a peaceful state now and ignore to pay attention to the natural disaster information. On the contrary, this thought in your mind will reduce your sense of crisis. Believe or not, increase a sense of crisis of the earthquake and learn more earthquake information can decrease the damage when the earthquakes occur in our life

In the U.S. alone, the average annual cost to repair damage caused by earthquakes is $4.4 billion USD. The worldwide figure is much larger than this but unquantifiable due to poorer countries unable to accurately determine the amount of damage that occurred. Year after year the cost of damages barely fluctuates from these ridiculously high figures and money must be pumped into repairing the damage done. Although a lot is being learnt about earthquakes and the fact that humans are now normally able to be alerted in time to evacuate the area the earthquake will affect, there have been no breakthroughs into reducing the amount of damage earthquakes cause to buildings and infrastructures.