Tectonic hazards and disasters - case studies

Question 1

2010 Haiti earthquake
What are the human development statistics?

Answer 1

GDP per capita = US$ 900
Life expectancy = 65
Literacy rate = 61%

Question 2

2010 Haiti earthquake
What were the physical aspects of the earthquake?

Answer 2

Magnitude = 7.0
Conservative plate boundary
Focus = 13km underground (shallow)
epicentre = 25km from the capital city

Question 3

2010 Haiti earthquake
What were the primary impacts?

Answer 3

316,000 killed
300,000 injured
All 8 hospitals collapsed

Question 4

2010 Haiti earthquake
What were the secondary impacts?

Answer 4

1.5 million homeless
Cholera outbreak through the homeless camps which killed 8,000

Question 5

2010 Haiti earthquake
What was the mitigation like leading up to the disaster?

Answer 5

There was a lack of mitigation

Question 6

2010 Haiti earthquake
What were the short-term responses?

Answer 6

The loss of government buildings resulted in a lack of clear leadership
The UN sent soldiers to hep keep law and order

Question 7

2010 Haiti earthquake
What were the long-term responses (recovery)?

Answer 7

New health care system established with improved health care statistics

Question 8

2010 Indonesia Mount Merapi eruption
What are the human development statistics?

Answer 8

GDP per capita = US$ 3,900
Life expectancy = 72
Literacy rate = 96%

Question 9

2010 Indonesia Mount Merapi eruption
What were the physical aspects of the eruption?

Answer 9

VEI 4
Stratovolcano
Destructive plate margin

Question 10

2010 Indonesia Mount Merapi eruption
What were the primary impacts?

Answer 10

353 killed
577 injured
Pyroclastic flows travelled 3km down the heavily populated mountain sides
Volcanic ash travelled 6km into the sky

Question 11

2010 Indonesia Mount Merapi eruption
What were the secondary impacts?

Answer 11

350,000 made homeless
Ash clouds caused major disruption to aviation across the region
Heavy rain soon after caused lahars

Question 12

2010 Indonesia Mount Merapi eruption?
What was the mitigation like?

Answer 12

Frequent smoke released from the volacno prior to 2010 meant people did not perceive risk
Many residents delayed evacuation

Question 13

2010 Indonesia Mount Merapi eruption
What were the short-term responses?

Answer 13

Evacuation centres set up
20km exclusion zone established around the volcano

Question 14

2010 Indonesia Mount Merapi eruption
What were the long-term responses?

Answer 14

Dams built to hold back lahars
Warning system established, radios used to report changes in volcanic activity

Question 15

2010 Chile Talcahuano tsunami
What are the human development factors?

Answer 15

GDP per capita = US$ 13,000
Life expectancy = 80
Literacy rate = 96%

Question 16

2010 Chile Talcahuano tsunami
What were the physical aspects of the earthquake/tsunami?

Answer 16

Magnitude = 8.8 in Pacific Ocean
Focus = 22km underground (shallow)
Destructive plate margin

Question 17

2010 Chile Talcahuano tsunami
What were the primary impacts?

Answer 17

500 killed
25 missing
Nearly 400,000 homes destroyed
A port was damaged

Question 18

2010 Chile Talcahuano tsunami
What were the secondary impacts?

Answer 18

Coastal areas affected struggled to recover from damage to the fishing and tourism industries

Question 19

2010 Chile Talcahuano tsunami
What was the mitigation like?

Answer 19

Damage was limited due to building codes enforced after the 1960 earthquake
Officials ignored tsunami warnings and failed to warn coastal residents

Question 20

2010 Chile Talcahuano tsunami
What were the short-term responses?

Answer 20

10,000 Chilean troops dispatched to keep peace and aid rescue

Question 21

2010 Chile Talcahuano tsunami
What were the long-term responses?

Answer 21

Increased precautions such as evacuation drills (which proved to save lives in 2014 tsunami)

Question 22

What are two reasons why Haiti still hadn’t fully recovered 10 years later?

Answer 22

The continuation of unstable governments over the past four decades and disorganised international aid

Question 23

Which major city is Mount Merapi immediately north of?

Answer 23

Yogyakarta