Case studies Flashcards
When did Kashmir earthquake occur?
October 2005
When did Haiti earthquake occur?
12 January 2010
What was the magnitude for the Haiti earthquake?
mag: 7
What was the magnitude for Kashmir earthquake?
7.6
How many deaths were there in Haiti and how many in Kashmir?
Haiti: 230,000
Kashmir: 87,000
How much more is the cost to make buildings earthquake proof? and with how much more materials?
15% more cost and materials
Where is a good example of somewhere that invested in earthquake proof buildings? What was its magnitude and how many deaths?
1994 LA earthquake
6.7 mag lasting 20 seconds
only 72 deaths
What is Haiti’s tectonic setting?
North American and Caribbean - a strike slip fault
What is Kashmir’s tectonic setting?
Indo-Australian subducting beneath Eurasian
What was the economic cost of Kashmir?
US$5 billion
What was the population of Haiti? How many homes were destroyed?
10million population
250,000 homes destroyed
How many were affected by the Kashmir earthquake?
3 million
How many cattle were killed in the Kashmir earthquake?
100,000 cattle
How much arable land was destroyed (Kashmir)?
50%
What were the physical factors influencing the severity of the earthquake in Haiti?
- 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
What were the physical factors influencing the severity of the earthquake in Kashmir?
- 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
How much of the population of Haiti were below the poverty line before the earthquake?
80% live below the poverty line with 72% living on less than $2 per head per day
This made them very vulnerable and unprepared
How does poverty make an area more vulnerable to an earthquake disaster?
- Unprepared with little resources to fall back on
- Poor building quality = more likely to collapse
What were the geopolitical factors influencing the severity of the Kashmir earthquake?
- Pakistan declined Indian aid of helicopters to assist rescue due to land disputes
- Government slow response
- Limited cooperation between military and civilian authorities
What are the socioeconomic factors influencing the severity of the Kashmir earthquake?
- 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
What are the geopolitical factors making Haiti vulnerable to earthquakes?
- Ruled by a brutal and corrupt dictatorship for 30 years - left unstable
- violence between gangs and political groups
- drug trafficking
- land disputes
What are the issues with rebuilding in Haiti?
- 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
When was the Japan earthquake and tsunami?
March 11th 2011
What was the nuclear disaster of Japan’s tsunami called?
Fukushima nuclear plant
Where was the nuclear disaster?
240km NE from Tokyo
What was the nuclear disaster of Japan?
A major release of radioactive material with widespread health and environmental effects
Partial nuclear meltdown and explosions in three operational boiling water reactors
What level on the international nuclear event scale was Japan’s nuclear disaster?
level 7 - same level as Chernobyl 1988
What caused the nuclear disaster in Japan?
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
