5.b. There are various strategies to manage hazards from earthquake activity.

Question 1

How is Japan able to mitigate against earthquakes?

(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Japan)

Answer 1

High economic wealth.

Highly developed education system.

Stable political environment enable it to cope with the constant threat of high-magnitude earthquake events.

Question 2

Japan has developed a high level of what?

(Mitigating the vulnerability)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Japan)

Answer 2

High level of preparedness to deal with earthquake hazards.

Question 2

What is JMA responsible for?

(Research and monitoring)
(Mitigating the vulnerability)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Japan)

Answer 2

Providing information and warnings of impending earthquakes and tsunamis.

Question 3

What lies at the heart of Japan’s mitigation strategies? What does this do?

(Research and monitoring)
(Mitigating the vulnerability)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Japan)

Answer 3

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

They mitigate against natural disasters, including earthquakes and tsunamis and extreme weather events such as typhoons.

Question 4

Japan’s detailed disaster plan involves what? Give examples.

(Research and monitoring)
(Mitigating the vulnerability)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Japan)

Answer 4

Involves a wide range of organisations.

E.g. governments, medical services, fire, military, transport, power and telecommunications companies.

Question 5

State 5 features of building design that help to mitigate against Japanese earthquake vulnerability.

(Buildings with aseismic design)
(Mitigating the vulnerability)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Japan)

Answer 5

E.g. steel frames and braces capable of moving without collapsing.

E.g. Rubber shock absorbers in foundations.
E.g. Very deep foundations into solid rock.

E.g. A ‘soft storey’ at the bottom of tall buildings such as a car park, which collapses, allowing upper floors to sink down on to it; counter-weights on roofs, which move during an earthquake.

E.g. Suspension bridges capable of movement rather than rigid cantilever design.

E.g. Flexible joints in underground utility pipes, e.g. gas and water.

Question 6

State 5 general mitigation strategies used in Japan.

(Buildings with aseismic design)
(Mitigating the vulnerability)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Japan)

Answer 6

Fire proofing older wooden buildings, which are common in historic districts of Japanese cities.

Land-use zoning that provides for open spaces where people can assemble after an earthquake.

Controlling building in locations susceptible to excessive ground shaking or liquefaction.

Tsunami warning systems off the coast.

Refuge sites on permanent stand-by equipped with tents, bottled water, blankets.

Community preparedness - ongoing education and training for all ages.

Question 7

Is Japan able to mitigate loss well? How?

(Mitigating the loss)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Japan)

Answer 7

Being one of the most advanced countries in the world, Japan has vast resources to manage short-term losses caused by earthquakes.

Question 8

How does Japan often mitigate against loss? What is the aim?

(Mitigating the loss)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Japan)

Answer 8

Well-rehearsed recovery and reconstruction plans, at national, regional and local levels, can be actioned immediately following an earthquake, e.g. small villages, key infrastructure.

The aim is to rebuild physically, economically and socially as quickly as possible.

Question 9

Recent earthquakes have caused Japan to do what?

(Conclusion)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Japan)

Answer 9

Reappraise how it manages the impacts of earthquakes and related hazards.

Question 10

What was completed after the Kobe quake of 1995?

(Conclusion)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Japan)

Answer 10

Much work was undertaken re-strengthening structures such as bridges and roads that were previously thought to be safe from shaking.

Question 11

What is Japan constantly doing to its mitigation strategies?

(Conclusion)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Japan)

Answer 11

Updating its exposure, vulnerability and loss.

Question 12

Compare Japan’s (ACs) resilience to EDC and LIDC resilience.

(Conclusion)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Japan)

Answer 12

The country, industries, and businesses and families tend to have the resources that give them a high degree of resilience.

By contrast, EDCs and LIDCs have fewer resources and so their resilience is much less.

Question 13

EDCs and LIDCs have a low level of resistance. What does this mean as a result?

(Conclusion)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Japan)

Answer 13

The impacts of earthquake disasters in the short term are more serious, and longer lasting.

Question 14

Since 2010, the Haitian population has become very preoccupied by what?

(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Haiti)

Answer 14

By the risks posed by earthquakes in this multi-hazarded country.

However, there are significant obstacles in building systems that mitigate against the impacts of these tectonic hazards to reduce vulnerability and improve the capacity to cope.

Question 15

What is the USGS? USAID?

(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Haiti)

Answer 15

USGS: United States Geological Survey.

USAID:US Agency for International Development.

Question 16

Prior to the 2010 earthquake, what was there nothing of in Haiti? Why is this not surprising?

(Mitigating the vulnerability)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Haiti)

Answer 16

There was no monitoring system in Haiti.

This is not surprising given the very long gap since the previous major earthquake in 1860.

Question 16

What has been developed in Haiti to mitigate liquefaction hazards in Haiti? What is a negative of this?

(Mitigating the vulnerability)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Haiti)

Answer 16

Progress has been made with hazard maps developed where none existed before, showing areas especially at risk, e.g. areas with softer sediments liable to liquefaction.

However, there is no national disaster risk management plan; and no education programme so that children know what to do during an earthquake event.

Question 17

Prior to the 2010 earthquake there was no monitoring systems in place. What did poor Haitians have more of a focus on?

(Mitigating the vulnerability)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Haiti)

Answer 17

Focused much more on the frequent challenge of hurricanes.

Question 18

Following the earthquake, who helped Haiti? How? Who else provided support?

(Mitigating the vulnerability)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Haiti)

Answer 18

Following the earthquake, the USGS has helped with earthquake awareness and monitoring in the country, with continued support from USAID.

Question 18

How many seismic stations are now operating in Haiti? What is a negative of this?

(Mitigating the vulnerability)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Haiti)

Answer 18

A total of 15 seismic stations are now operating in Haiti.

However, the monitoring facilities are not earthquake resistant and there is not enough money to staff a 24-hour team.

Question 19

What is one of the most pressing problems in Haiti?

(Mitigating the vulnerability)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Haiti)

Answer 19

The inability of the state to enforce earthquake-resistant building design.

That has been an issue elsewhere, not least in Italy and even in Japan, but it is much more challenging in poor societies such as Haiti.

Question 20

In its history up until the 2010 earthquake, the most significant hazards were what? What was done?

(Mitigating the vulnerability)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Haiti)

Answer 20

Hurricanes.

These were mitigated against by using concrete in construction - this gave the best protection from high winds.

Question 21

Is Haiti’s government helping to mitigate vulnerability? Give an example.

(Mitigating the vulnerability)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Haiti)

Answer 21

There is no government approved building code and given that the country has had multiple leaders since 2010, stability and long-term planning are not evident.

E.g. the Bureau of Mines and Energy, which oversees earthquake surveillance among many other responsibilities, has an annual budget of just $US600,000 which is 0.04% of the national budget.

Question 22

Why has NGO help in Haiti been so needed?

(Mitigating the loss)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Haiti)

Answer 22

They have no effective government.

However this has been controversial from the start.

Question 23

Why is there so much judgement around Haiti and NGOs?

(Mitigating the loss)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Haiti)

Answer 23

The lack of progress made since 2010, as measured by life expectancy and other development indicators.

Question 24

What did NGOs promise Haitians when they first arrived?

(Mitigating the loss)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Haiti)

Answer 24

Promised an approach that would respect the needs of, and reflect the input of, the Haitian people.

Question 25

What happened at the International Donors Conference ‘Towards a New Future for Haiti’, held in 2010 (11 weeks after the event)?

(Mitigating the loss)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Haiti)

Answer 25

Donors pledged over $US5.3 billion for Haiti’s recovery, to be spent over 2 years.

They also agreed to work with the Haitian government to keep to ‘the principles of aid effectiveness and good humanitarian donorship and to build on lessons learned’.

They created the IHRC, to help them do just that.

Question 26

What percentage of US households donated to Haitian charities? As international donations flooded to Haiti, did the constructive partnership happen?

(Mitigating the loss)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Haiti)

Answer 26

45% of US households donated to Haitian charities.

The dream of a constructive partnership did not, for the most part, happen.

Question 27

What did critics say about the NGOs in Haiti?

(Mitigating the loss)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Haiti)

Answer 27

Critics argue that from the very start, NGOs followed their own agendas and set their own priorities, largely excluding the Haitian government and its people.

Question 28

In the first rush of aid after the earthquake, what percentage of donor funds available for emergency assistance was offered to the Haitian government? What about Haiti’s ‘home-grown’ NGOs?

(Mitigating the loss)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Haiti)

Answer 28

Just 1% of all donor funds available for emergency assistance was offered to the Haitian government.

Haiti’s home-grown NGOs fared even worse, receiving just 0.4% of the international aid.

Question 29

How much money was raised by the ARC for Haiti?

How many new houses were built by the ARC?

(American Red Cross rehousing schemes)
(Mitigating the loss)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Haiti)

Answer 29

US$486,000,000.

6 houses.

Question 30

How many new houses did USAID plan to build after the earthquake? What was the estimated cost of this?

How many houses did USAID actually build?

(American Red Cross rehousing schemes)
(Mitigating the loss)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Haiti)

Answer 30

Planned to build 15,000.
The 15,000 houses cost US$59 million.

USAID actually built 900 houses.

Question 31

How many miles from Port-au Prince was the original housing construction site planned?

How many miles from Port-au Prince were the 750 out of 900 houses actually built

(American Red Cross rehousing schemes)
(Mitigating the loss)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Haiti)

Answer 31

8 miles from Port-au Prince.

Were actually built 130 miles.

Question 32

What was the projected cost of the new houses?

What was the final cost of the 750 houses built in Northern Haiti?

(American Red Cross rehousing schemes)
(Mitigating the loss)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Haiti)

Answer 32

Projected average cost: US$8000.

Final average cost: US$77,125.

Question 33

How many of the 750 new houses met earthquake standard?

How much was spent by US taxpayers to fit structural issues in the homes?

(American Red Cross rehousing schemes)
(Mitigating the loss)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Haiti)

Answer 33

0 of the houses were resistant.

US$21,237,888 spent to fix problems.

Question 34

What fraction of raised aid money for NGOs (in the billions) remained in the bank accounts of aid money managers? Give 2 examples of international NGOs included in this - hoping to benefit from reconstruction projects.

(American Red Cross rehousing schemes)
(Mitigating the loss)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Haiti)

Answer 34

Almost 2/3 of the money raised.

• The World Bank.
• The UN.
• The Inter-American Development Bank.
• Western building and consultancy firms.

Question 35

What should be concluded from the Haiti management case study?

(American Red Cross rehousing schemes)
(Mitigating the loss)
(Case study: Living with earthquakes – Haiti)

Answer 35

Haiti is a case study without many positive elements.

NGOs are often seen as upholding human rights and intervening, when necessary, against the self-interests of governments and the ruling elites.

The history of Haiti both before and after the 2010 earthquake suggests that this is not the whole story.

Despite the good intentions of many individuals, and the lives saved selflessly, there are systemic issues that need addressing.

In the meantime, Haiti remains one of the poorest countries in the world 10 years after a disaster that was as much a human disaster as it was a natural disaster.