Strategies to build Community Resilience

Question 1

Land use planning

Answer 1

● to reduce exposure to tectonic hazards by controlling and minimising developments in high-risk areas
● Hazard maps are used to identify areas at high risk of tectonic disasters
(earthquakes/volcanoes).
● Development in areas with high likelihood of tectonic disasters will be
controlled or restricted.
Eg. After a tsunami in Japan in 1933, land use planning was implemented:
residential land use near coastal areas (eg. Touni-hongo village) are shifted to higher ground. In the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, houses on higher ground were not destroyed.

Question 2

Reducing Vulnerability through:

Answer 2

Hazards-resistant building
Earthquake-resistant building designs that can withstand ground shaking include:
○ Using shock absorbers or dampers in buildings to absorb vibrations.
○ Reinforcing buildings with cross braces to retain building shape during vibrations
● These prevents buildings from shaking/swaying too much, reducing the likelihood of them collapsing or people getting stuck inside.
Eg. Taipei 101 is a skyscraper in Taiwan, an earthquake-prone country. It has a weighted damper near the top of the building, which reduces sway during an earthquake, thus preventing it from collapsing

Monitoring and warning systems
used to detect seismic waves and ground deformation. They then make predictions and send warnings about potential hazards
Allows people to evacuate to a safer place before the disaster, reducing number of casualties.
● Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) systems detects seismic waves.
○ Alerts are sent to people/ governments to allow for early evacuation
○ Sensors can detect high risk/high damage areas, allowing aid to be sent more quickly
Eg. Monitoring and warning systems in Tohoku, Japan (2011) allowed bullet trains to stop running, saving the lives of thousands of passengers.

Question 3

Increasing Preparedness for response and recovery

Answer 3

Raising public awareness of hazards through education
○ Educating people on what to do during tectonic hazards

First-aid training
○ Enables people to administer basic medical care to reduce casualties

Conducting evacuation drills
○ Allows people to be familiar with what to do and where to go during an
earthquake/eruption

Eg. Kamashi, Japan conducts earthquake and tsunami drills. Nearly all 3000 students in the city were able to evacuate and survived the 2011 Tohoku earthquake