Management of seismic events Flashcards
What is preparedness?
Increasing awareness of a hazard through actions to minimise the likely effect of a hazard
Example of preparedness
-public education and practice
-response from emergency services
-risk sharing
-tsunami warning systems
What does public education and practice involve?
-preparedness strategy
-countries eg. USA and Japan carry ur regular earthquake drills, people taught to ‘drop, cover, hold’ -authorities teach people how to assemble earthquake kits.
-evacuation plans are planned and practiced
What does response of emergency services involve ?
-preparedness strategy
-involves number of national/international bodies
-first aid training and heavy lifting gear required
-some wealthier countries eg. California have computer services that decide where emergency services should be sent first depending on how badly areas have been affected.
What are tsunami warning systems?
-preparedness strategy
-Implemented into coastal communities
-give people time to evaluate, seek high ground
-relatively low cost so accessible to lower income countries
What is mitigation
Actions aimed at reducing the severity of an event
Examples of mitigation strategies
-tsunami protection
-demolish older/unsafe buildings
-search and rescue
What does tsunami protection involve
-mitigation strategy
-some countries build walls up to 12m high
-bottom pressure sensors attached to buoys which measure the pressure of the overlying water column
-regions with high tsunami risks use warning systems (eg. Klaxons) these warn a population before the tsunami reaches land, based on pacific warning system in Hawaii.
What is prevention ?
Actions aimed at preventing large scale events from occurring
Examples of prevention
-lubricants between plates
-smart meters to prevent fires
-probes in soil to prevent liquefaction
-explosives to prevent avalanches
How do lubricants between plates work
-use of oil and water to help ease movement of plates and reduce friction
Minimises risk of sudden plate movement and earthquakes
How do smart meters help prevent damage
-smart meters cut of gas supplies during an earthquake
-help prevent fires
-implemented in places such as Japan
Liquefaction prevention
-probes placed into the soil
-these vibrate and cause loose soil to shake
-closes air pockets where water can settle
-reduces risk of liquefaction
-dependant on soil type
How are avalanches prevented
-explosives used to set off avalanches
-prevents unexpected avalanches
What is adaptation
Accepting that natural hazard events are inevitable and adapting behaviour accordingly
