Plate tectonics KQ3 Flashcards
Peoples approach to EQS
1) Fatalistic
- Embrace EQs as unavoidable
- Oppose evacuation
- Seen in LDCs where people lack access to other places
2) Acceptance
- Acknowledge risk of EQs
- Choose to live near high risk areas (esp volcanic regions) to reap benefits
- Seen in DCs
3) Adaptation
- Sufficiently prepared & thrive in EQ- prone areas
- Use preparation measures
- May be expensive but effective to minimise impacts of EQ
Responses to EQs
- Preparedness measures (Pre-quake)
1) Land use regulations
2) Building designs and EQ resistant infra.
3) Emergency drills
4) Earthquake and tsunami Monitoring and warning systems
-Short Term (Immediately aft quake, impt in restoring and making place habitable)
1) Search and Rescue
2) Emergency food and medical supplies
- Long Term (Rebuilding an affected region)
1) Rebuilding of infrastructure
2) Provision of Healthcare
PM: Land use regulation
1) Prohibiting/restricting development in certain areas prone to EQs
- Technology utilised to map at-risk areas, aids in zoning and regulating land use
2) Prohibiting/restricting development in low- lying coastal areas prone to tsunamis
- Only allow development when protective measures in place (coastal protection)
L: May be carried out where land is already built-up/owned
- Govt. authorities would have to buy back land
- Owners may be reluctant to move
Land use regulations examples
e.g. California , USA
- No current buildings established across faultlines or areas prone to liquefaction
e.g. Japan & North America (Pacific ring of fire)
- Developmental regulations imposed along coasts
PM: Building designs
- Minimise collapse of buildings & decrease damages caused
Case Study: Taipei 101
1) Steel and reinforced concrete
- Withstand EQs better than brittle material
2) Damping devices
- Absorb seismic energy discharged during EQ
- Acts as counterweight which moves in opposite direction to motion of EQ
3) Wide and heavy bases
- Reinforced by heavy metal bars.
- Decrease likelihood of toppling
4) Base isolation bearings
- Rubber cushioning minimises shaking during EQ
- Absorbs socks and reduces movement of buildings
5) Wall designs
- Act as wind shields
- Prevents winds from causing too much swaying
L: Costly and hard to add on to existing buildings
PM: EQ resistant Infrastructure development
- Developed with advanced engineering to withstand vibrations
- Effective building designs reduce collapse and damage by EQs
1) Roads, dams and bridges
- Constructed to withstand collapse
- Constructed to be easily repaired aft collapse
2) Homes, Office buildings and factories
- Implement trip switches
- Minimise fires
3) Large underground water tanks
- Emergency reservoir for firefighting
4) Compliance/implementation of strict building codes
-Emphasise meeting minimum acceptable levels of safety for buildings
L: Adds to cost of construction and maintenance.
Remains untested until EQ occurs
Infrastructure development examples
e.g. Japan and California
-Shown advantages of improved infra
- Reduced death toll, faster rescue and evacuation, lowering recovery costs
PM: Emergency drills
A: - People practice the steps to take when EQ occurs
- Creates awareness, reduces panic and irritation during EQ
L: - Scenarios based only on past experiences and magnitude EQs
- Emergency procedures only effective if people have enough time to evacuate
- EQs are difficult to predict and emergency procedures may be insufficient
Emergency Drill examples
e.g. Japan, 1st September, Disaster Prevention Day
- EQ of high magnitude is simulated
- Mentally prepare people how to react to a disaster
- Roads blocked to simulate road conditions during EQ
- Emergency Services activated
- Schools practice hiding under tables and evacuation drills
- Island wide EQ warning systems activated
PM: EQ Monitoring and warning systems
1) Earthquake prediction
- Monitored by studying history, provides estimation of frequency and magnitudes of EQs at fault lines.
2) Seismic Risk Maps
- Show likelihood of locations at risk from earths movements or liquefaction
L: Studies only give general indication of frequency and magnitude of the earthquake.
Precise time, location and magnitude of EQ not given
3) Earthquake sensors
- Monitor frequency and detect possible developments of an EQ
- Enable occurrence of EQs to be quickly detected
L: expensive to obtain, install and use.
- talent needed to analuse data
- EQs usually detected seconds before event. Not enough time to react.
- Noise, lightning, device failures can interfere with seismograph and provide false
readings
- Difficult to obtain accurate warnings if multiple EQs occur close together
PM: Tsunami Monitoring and warning systems
- Alert people to oncoming tsunamis.
1) Surface buoys connected to pressure sensors on sea floor
2) Temp, pressure and wave info measured and relayed at fixed intervals
3) Info. sent to tsunami warning stations for analysis
L: Prone to giving false alarms during harsh weather/ high wave conditions
- Little time to evacuate once tsunami is detected
STR: Search and rescue
-Rescue teams will quickly locate and liberate trapped people
L: Time limit of 72hrs given to rescue workers
- w/o food/water, people unlikely to survive >3 days
Search and rescue examples
Tohoku EQ, 2011
- Sniffer dogs and heat sensors deployed to find survivors
- Some people found only after couple of weeks trapped w/o food
- Rescue workers only given 3 days to search 2 towns.
STR: Emergency food and medical supplies
-Injured are treated and daily necessities are provided to survivors to prevent death and spread of diseases.
- Help survivors continue with their lives
L: Food, medical supplies and water may be insufficient, causing social unrest
Emergency, food and medical supplies examples
e.g. Afyon EQ in turkey 2002
- Turkish Red Crescent Society immediately responded by delivering 20,000 tents, 50,000 blankets and 3,000 heaters to the region.
e.g. Haiti, 2010
- Looting and fighting broke out as people fought for food and medical supplies
