Case studies

Question 0

When did Kashmir earthquake occur?

Answer 0

October 2005

Question 1

When did Haiti earthquake occur?

Answer 1

12 January 2010

Question 2

What was the magnitude for the Haiti earthquake?

Answer 2

mag: 7

Question 3

What was the magnitude for Kashmir earthquake?

Answer 3

7.6

Question 4

How many deaths were there in Haiti and how many in Kashmir?

Answer 4

Haiti: 230,000
Kashmir: 87,000

Question 5

How much more is the cost to make buildings earthquake proof? and with how much more materials?

Answer 5

15% more cost and materials

Question 6

Where is a good example of somewhere that invested in earthquake proof buildings? What was its magnitude and how many deaths?

Answer 6

1994 LA earthquake
6.7 mag lasting 20 seconds
only 72 deaths

Question 7

What is Haiti’s tectonic setting?

Answer 7

North American and Caribbean - a strike slip fault

Question 8

What is Kashmir’s tectonic setting?

Answer 8

Indo-Australian subducting beneath Eurasian

Question 9

What was the economic cost of Kashmir?

Answer 9

US$5 billion

Question 10

What was the population of Haiti? How many homes were destroyed?

Answer 10

10million population

250,000 homes destroyed

Question 11

How many were affected by the Kashmir earthquake?

Answer 11

3 million

Question 12

How many cattle were killed in the Kashmir earthquake?

Answer 12

100,000 cattle

Question 13

How much arable land was destroyed (Kashmir)?

Answer 13

50%

Question 14

What were the physical factors influencing the severity of the earthquake in Haiti?

Answer 14

• Build on soft sediment intensified shaking
• Epicentre 15 miles from capital
• Shaking was strong in the port causing lateral spreading = couldn’t import aid via shore

Question 15

What were the physical factors influencing the severity of the earthquake in Kashmir?

Answer 15

• Unstable, steep sloped mountainous region
• Torrential rain - hampered relief efforts
  Both of these influenced the landslides that destroyed many homes
• Drop in temperature meant that priorities shifted from rescue efforts to shelter

Question 16

How much of the population of Haiti were below the poverty line before the earthquake?

Answer 16

80% live below the poverty line with 72% living on less than $2 per head per day
This made them very vulnerable and unprepared

Question 17

How does poverty make an area more vulnerable to an earthquake disaster?

Answer 17

• Unprepared with little resources to fall back on

- Poor building quality = more likely to collapse

Question 18

What were the geopolitical factors influencing the severity of the Kashmir earthquake?

Answer 18

• Pakistan declined Indian aid of helicopters to assist rescue due to land disputes
• Government slow response
• Limited cooperation between military and civilian authorities

Question 19

What are the socioeconomic factors influencing the severity of the Kashmir earthquake?

Answer 19

• poor people are unprepared with little resources to fall back on
• 84% people living in rural areas reliant on agriculture and farming = vulnerable
• poorly built schools and hospitals

Question 20

What are the geopolitical factors making Haiti vulnerable to earthquakes?

Answer 20

• Ruled by a brutal and corrupt dictatorship for 30 years - left unstable
• violence between gangs and political groups
• drug trafficking
• land disputes

Question 21

What are the issues with rebuilding in Haiti?

Answer 21

• land disputes - ngos can’t build shelters without permission however this is made difficult due to multiple claimants
• only 5% of the 20million m3 of rubble has been cleared
• lack of willingness to leave camps due lack of incentives - 87% of homeless are still in camps

Question 22

When was the Japan earthquake and tsunami?

Answer 22

March 11th 2011

Question 23

What was the nuclear disaster of Japan’s tsunami called?

Answer 23

Fukushima nuclear plant

Question 24

Where was the nuclear disaster?

Answer 24

240km NE from Tokyo

Question 25

What was the nuclear disaster of Japan?

Answer 25

A major release of radioactive material with widespread health and environmental effects
Partial nuclear meltdown and explosions in three operational boiling water reactors

Question 26

What level on the international nuclear event scale was Japan’s nuclear disaster?

Answer 26

level 7 - same level as Chernobyl 1988

Question 27

What caused the nuclear disaster in Japan?

Answer 27

The earthquake caused reactors to shut down automatically
but
multiple cooling systems required to remove residue heat from the core failed = parts overheated, evaporating water from system and generating explosive hydrogen