2.5 Reducing The Imapcts

Question 1

Predictions

Answer 1

1. Measure earth tremors, pressure, and release of gas
2. Use maps and facts to find pattern in time/location
3. Unusual animal behavior
4. Seismometer
5. Richter scale

Question 2

Preparation

Answer 2

1. Build earthquake-proof buildings
   - automated weights on roof to reduce movement
   - rubber shock-absorbers between foundations
   - foundation sunk deep into bedrock avoiding clay
   - automatic shutters come down over the windows
   - interlocking steel frames which can sway during earth movements
2. Train emergency services
3. Create evacuation plan
4. Emergency water, food and electricity supply
5. Prepare earthquake kit

Question 3

An earthquake - Christchurch, New Zealand

Answer 3

1. Causes
   - an earthquake struck New Zealand’s South Island on 22nd February 2011 at 12.51 pm
   - New Zealand is located on the plate boundary between the Austrian and Pacific plates, a continental crust and an oceanic crust
   - the plate boundaries moves in two ways which - both destructive and constructive
   - the epicenter was 10km away from Christchurch, and the second highest populated city in New Zealand
   - it has the magnitude of 6.3 on the Ritcher scale with a shallow focus earthquake which is 5km below the surface
2. Short term effects
   - 181 people were killed, and over half of the deaths occurred in the 6-stores Canterbury Television building when it collapsed and caught fire
   - approximately 2000 people were treated for minor injuries
   - 80% of the city was without electricity
3. Long term effects
   - although many buildings did not collapse, some were demolished because they were unsafe
   - nearly 10000 houses would need to be rebuilt
   - could no longer host Rugby World Cup
   - economic cost of NZ$3.5 billion overall
4. Short term management
   - a full emergency response plan was in oak lace with on 2 hours of the earthquake happening
   - the Australian and New Zealand police enforced cordons and organized evacuations
   - 27,00 chemical toilets were flown into the area as sanitation and sewerage works were damaged
5. Long term management
   - insurance companies paid $898million in building claims
   - text message alert systems in place
   - building reinforced with flexible steel that moves with the ground during an earthquake
   - use of monitoring equipment to detect the movement of the plates

Question 4

A volcano - Kobe, Japan

Answer 4

1. Causes
   - an earthquake hit Japan’s main island on the 17th of January 1995 at 5.46 am
   - Japan is located neat the late boundary between the Pacific plate and the Philippines plate and the Eurasian plate, which are two oceanic crust and a continental rust
   - the epicenter was 20km away from Kobe, the seventh-largest city in Japan
   - the magnitude was 7.4 on the Ritcher scale with a shallow focus (17km under the epicenter)
2. Short term effects
   - over 6000 lives were lost
   - the majority of the deaths happened in the cities and suburbs
   - 35000 people were injured
   - the earthquake caused nearly 300 fires
   - over 80% of the citizens were left without gas
3. Long term effects
   - the buildings were burned down gradually by the numerous fires
   - over 300000 people were left homeless
   - over $100 billion worth of damage
   - many of the ports were destroyed, which lead to a steep decrease in trading
4. Short term management
   - citizens swiftly evacuated from their homes and their city
   - many emergency services spent many days looking for survivors
   - rations were given to the citizens and the survivors
   - the Japanese firefighters worked hard to put out the fires in the buildings
5. Long term management
   - many people permanently moved out of Kobe into other cities
   - multiple jobs were created to rebuild the city, jobs such as builders, architects and many more
   - the Japanese government made it mandatory for the new buildings to be more resistant to earthquakes, including shear walls and cross braces
   - more seismometers were built so that the people could detect plate activity, predicting the future earthquakes