Essay On M6.1 Earthquake

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.

On January 12th, 2010, the small country of Haiti was hit by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated the city of Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas (Haiti earthquake of 2010, 2015). The 30-second disaster was just the beginning of a collection of aftershocks that then struck the country relentlessly for days (Haiti earthquake of 2010, 2015). Many areas were reduced to rubble leaving approximately one million Haitians homeless and 350 000 dead and another 300 000 injured (Haiti earthquake of 2010, 2015). The ill-prepared country was sitting on two tectonic plates- the Caribbean and the North American, where there was slippage resulting in the earthquake (KS3 Bitesize Geography). Following the environmental catastrophe, the international community responded, and a relief effort began (Haiti earthquake of 2010, 2015).

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.

Earthquakes have afflicted the world since its inception. The sudden release of energy from volcanoes or displacing of earth plates can result in disasters of extreme magnitude. These usually naturally occurring phenomenon have been responsible from wiping out entire towns throughout history and until today continue to produce major loss of life and infrastructure. It can take years for a city or country to recover from a major event of this kind and when a third world country is involved, the result is usually exponentially worse than in a developed country. In the past decades Japan, Chile and Haiti have suffered the devastation an earthquake produces. This document will concentrate in Haiti, a small country in the Caribbean. On

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.

When a large magnitude earthquake strikes, roads might buckle, dams sometimes fail, and buildings can collapse. As more earthquakes occur, building regulations have been altered to ensure that buildings experience minimal damage. The Trans-Alaskan Pipeline System (TAPS), which transports oil from Prudhoe Bay to the Gulf of Alaska, had engineering in place so when the earthquake struck the Denali fault in Alaska in 2002, the pipeline didn’t leak any oil (Nyman, Johnson, and Roach, 2003). The success of the pipeline came from its supporting structures. The engineering used in the TAPS should be applied to buildings in areas that are also prone to large magnitude earthquakes, such as Washington and California. California is home to the San Andreas fault, a major transform fault, just like the Denali, and Washington is home to the Seattle Basin, whose geometry and geological units amplify main and aftershock waves. Washington and California should first implement better building regulations, and if the premise is successful, it could be applied anywhere large magnitude earthquakes occur.

Thank you, Ms. Leona Graham (mayor), for the opportunity to provide an assessment report for Hazard City. This report will provide an assessment on structural damage of an Intensity IX earthquake, and emergency housing needs. It will also identify actions homeowners can use to help prevent future structural damages, and give more information on possible effects of an Intensity IX earthquake. The assessment report will identify danger of a failing dam, and provide further understanding of the elements which will include an emergency plan. The table that follows is an assessment of the number of people needing emergency housing due to an Intensity IX earthquake.

Critical incidents require immediate action (Levinson & Granot, 2002). Additionally, they also require ongoing support in order to ensure that they are correctly managed and the long-term effects are mitigated (Schneid & Collins, 2001). Addressed here are four specific events - earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and tornados. There are ways to mitigate the damage of these events, and there are also ways to try to prepare for them. Additionally, the type of response to these events is important as is the recovery from them. For earthquakes, mitigation is limited. It is possible to build houses and buildings stronger and more able to withstand shaking, and in earthquake-prone areas the cabinets often have latches and large appliances are strapped to the wall (U.S., 2007). People who live there should also have emergency supplies of food and water, and should be prepared for an earthquake by knowing information about evacuation routes (U.S., 2007). The response to earthquakes and the recovery from them are usually strong, because the areas that are most prone are also most prepared. When an earthquake hits in an unusual area, however, it can take much longer to help people and to rebuild the infrastructure.

A hazard can best be defined as a 'situation that poses a level of threat to life, health, property or the environment.' The overall impact of earthquakes as a natural hazard varies greatly from one place and timeframe to another. As do the types of hazards, which are categorised into primary and secondary. Primary hazards are created by the direct seismic energy of an earthquake; this could include liquefaction, slope failure and tsunamis. These primary hazards can in turn trigger secondary hazards such as floods, fires, disease and destabilisation of infrastructure. A number of factors play a part in determining the severity

It was typical late afternoon in Haiti capital of Port-au-Prince. People were strolling the streets, and local vendors were selling various goods at the Port-au-Prince historic Iron Market. Then at 4:53 pm on January 12, 2010 a 7.0 magnitude hit Haiti. Haiti had not seen a major earthquake like this in almost 200 years. People scrambled through the streets as the ground roared knocking down huge stone and brick building onto the streets of Port-au-Prince. An eyewitness describes the moment that the earthquake hit, “The earth screamed; a sound of thunder that came from its belly as it violently shook the plants, the car, the walls, the pavement that I stood on. I called out to everyone to walk out of the house quickly. It seemed like a long, long time. Then silence. Then screams from some of the residents of the rural neighborhood” (Clesca, 2010). This would be one of the deadliest earthquake of our generation. The estimated death toll was 316,000 deaths, and over 3 million people were displaced by the earthquake. Many people died when their dwelling collapsed and they were trapped under the rumble. People also died from falling objects, such as large building materials. This earthquake will ultimately change the structured of Haiti and leave many residents asking, who is responsible for the huge loss of life?

With recent paradigm shifts recognizing the Cascadia Subduction Zone as an active subduction zone there needs to be precautionary movements occurring. There needs to be a focus on the retrofitting of older structures to prevent a future calamity (Yeats 2004). For those living in the Pacific Northwest we are faced with the impending doom of an earthquake hitting us that could cause catastrophic damage not only to our structures, but also to the lives of families and friends as well. For citizens living in the Pacific Northwest our building codes are only half that of those enforced in California who ranks 2nd in earthquake frequencies. Washington is ranked 5th and Oregon is ranked 10th in earthquake frequencies which should draw more attention

“We’ve never seen anything like this” is the word increasingly heard in every part of the world in the wake of natural disasters. Certainly, strong natural disasters have increased nearly four times over the past four decades. There have been observed 70% increase in damage by floods and streams. According to recent UN report, Economic losses from disasters since 2000 are in range of $2.5 trillion, almost 50% higher than previous international estimates. The economic losses from disaster sometimes occur out of control and require partnership with private sector. The losses from earthquake and cyclonic wind damage are expected to be about $180 billion per year throughout this century- and this figure doesn’t include damage from floods, rockslides,

A building or home can be seen as a place of comfort where individuals feel safe, relaxed, and at peace, but structures aren’t as safe as they really seem. Throughout time natural disasters as the name say’s just happen naturally without warning, and because of this, building codes exist to help prevent the worst when one occurs. However even with all these codes structures just aren’t safe enough to withstand disasters. Changing the simple things like building codes could greatly impact how much more reinforced a building can be in the wake of a disaster. Current structures are not up to code, and should be re-evaluated because buildings are vulnerable in the event of a natural disaster.

In 2010 there was an earthquake that affected many cities and a Chilean firefighter said that, “The earthquake was 8.8 and there were 6,000 buildings in the affected area – yet only six were seriously damaged, and of those, only four had to be demolished”(Soichet, Romo). An 8.8 is outstanding and the fact that only a small amount of buildings were damaged is jaw-dropping. Insurance is also a very crucial in earthquakes. People invest in earthquake insurance and this helps because even if homes are destroyed, nobody will be displaced within their own country. “In Chile, an estimated 10 percent of residential properties and 60 percent of commercial properties are insured against earthquake damage”(). Another way chile has adapted with their buildings is the new building codes. The building codes are very strict and any and every commercial building has to be able to manage an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0. “The building can crack, tilt and even be declared unfit for future use – but it must not collapse”(Franklin). This ensures that people will be safe in buildings if there is an

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.