Earthquakes case studies Flashcards
Describe the location of the 2015 Nepal Earthquake
Nepal is ranked 145 out of 188 in HDI
Densely populated
Kathmandu valley sediment reaches 600m deep
Middle of a collision zone
51 aftershocks > 5Mw
Focus-15km
Epicentre-90km NE of Kathmandu
7.8 Magnitude
Earthquake prone country
Geological structure of valleys in Nepal increases risk- lakes filled with many valleys leaves layers of soft sediments
Impacts of the 2015 Nepal Earthquake
7.8 Magnitude
Avalanche on Everest killed 20 climbers
8800 deaths and 22000 injured
2.8m people displaced from Kathmandu Valley
473,000 houses destroyed or badly damaged
Estimated 1m people needed food assistance
women and girls trafficked from poorest families to South Asian brothels
Estimated $10billion cost of damage
Avalanches and landslides
Disruption to planting season ahead of monsoon- long term food security impacted
Economic impact has undermined progress towards peace and democracy
What were the impacts in Barktak of the Nepal Earthquake?
700 people were killed and just 4 of the 1200 buildings were left undamaged
Access to rural villages like Bartak is difficult so it was days or weeks before help arrived by foot or helicopter
What were the responses to the 2015 Nepal earthquake?
Assistance came from 90% of the Nepalese Army
Asian Bank provided $200m in aid
The UN helped to coordinate response efforts
International aid received from a range of EDCs and ACs
Aid created tension with India
Almost 80% of Nepal’s people rely on farming. The earthquake destroyed large areas of farmland. CARE provided a farming initiative with vegetable and millet seed available
How did Nepal try to recover after the earthquake?
Nepal was reliant on financial support from ACs and for planning
NGOs are helping to build homes- small homes that can withstand damage and are cheap to build
Describe the location of the Japan 2011 Earthquake
Focus; 30km
Epicentre; 70km offshore of Honshu Island
Subduction zone increases the risk of tsunamis
Since 2000, 23 earthquakes of 7.0Mw or higher have occurred
Japanese culture and folklore are closely linked to earthquakes
1000x stronger than the earthquake in Haiti
What were the environmental impacts of the 2011 Japan earthquake?
400 km stretch of coastline dropped by 1.6meters
Tsunami reached 40.5m and travelled 10km inland
Sea bed rose by 7m
Honshu island moved 2.4m east
What were the social impacts of the 2011 Japan Earthquake and tsunami?
16,000deaths and 6000 injured
100,000 children separated from families
19,000 homes were left without clean water
4.4million households and 1000s of businesses without electricity
45,700 buildings destroyed
Large movement against nuclear power
25million tonnes of debris
What were the economic impacts of the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami?
Estimated £181billion damage
15ports affected-4 destroyed
10% of fishing ports were damaged
3,918 roads damaged
78 bridges damaged
Government debt increased
23 train stations swept away
11 nuclear power stations shut down
Japan Stock market fell by 5-10%
What were the responses to the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami
200,000 residents were evacuated in the Fukushia region due to radiation levels- 20km evacuation zone
452,000 in evacuation centres
Within 30 mins of the earthquake, 11 military aircraft had responded and identified isolated communites
Debris cleared within 2 days by the Japanese army
116 counties and 28 organisations offered assistance
Within 1 minute and 20 seconds before the main tremors, all 27 Shinkansen trains had stopped with no derailments or injuries
How did Japan recover after the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami?
£25 million warning system revealed in 2013
96% of electricity was restored by November
New tsunami walls were constructed; 25-30m high
About half of the Tohoku Expressway had been damaged but by March this had been repaired and reopened.
Describe the location of the 2010 Haiti earthquake
Located on the edge of the Caribbean plate
7.0Mw
Focus; 13km
Epicentre 25km away from Port-au-Prince
In Haiti, 1/2 of the population lived below the poverty line (before the earthquake)
What were the impacts of the 2010 Haiti Earthquake?
200,000 deaths
250,000 people were seriously injured
nearly 1m living in tents
300,000 buildings collapsed
1/3 of the cities buildings collapsed
Communications and services and government were wiped out
Electricity was damaged, water pipes fractured
Little food or water
Widespread lootings, muggings and domestic violence increases.
30,000 businesses, schools and other employers were wiped out
Why were the impacts of the 2010 Haiti Earthquake so bad?
Because building quality, lack of infrastructure and widespread poverty meant Haiti was already vulnerable.
Lack of building regulations, no foundations, population density
No systems for disposing of sewage- disease would be a risk
What were the responses to the 2010 Haiti earthquake?
Trucks distributing food were looted at first as there was no effective police
NGOs set up tent camps
Over 3 years after the earthquake over 300,000 people still live in tent camps
NGOs like Oxfam tried to use existing businesses to boost the economy and making canteens- Set up 85 canteens at Carrefour Feuilles tent camp
Rescue teams arrived within 24 hours
