Tectonics Case Studies Flashcards
Why was Haiti more vulnerable to earthquakes than other countries?
It is a developing country:
- weak buildings
- corrupt governments meant building regulations weren’t stuck to
- lack of investment in earthquake preparations due to more immediate threats such as disease
- high population density in cities
- lack of coordination in emergency services
What was the death toll for the Haiti 2010 earthquake?
250,000
What were the social impacts of Haiti 2010?
- 250,000 dead
- 1.3 million made homeless
- livelihoods destroyed
- mental impacts
What were the economic impacts of Haiti 2010?
- cost $14 billion
- businesses destroyed
- cholera outbreak led to a reduction in productivity
What were the environmental impacts of Haiti 2010?
- contamination of water supplies, leading to cholera outbreak.
- rubble and waste
What is the pressure and release model?
A model to determine how vulnerable a country is to a hazard.
It follows the progression of vulnerability.
root causes -> dynamic pressures -> unsafe conditions
e.g.
A poor country (root cause) will not spend money on enforcing building codes (dynamic pressure), which leads to poorly built buildings (unsafe conditions.
How effective was the response to Haiti 2010?
- five years after, Haiti was still recovering
- received $13 billion international aid, which was poorly spent due to concerns over corrupt governments.
- aid was spent by independent organisations in a way which hampered Haiti’s ability to become self sufficient.
- 80,000 still living in temporary housing by 2015
Name the prime example of a multiple hazard zone for tectonics?
The Philippines
8/10 most at risk cities from natural hazards in the world were in the Philippines
What makes the Philippines so at risk from tectonics?
Multiple hazard zone
- Sits across a major convergent plate boundary so is at risk from both volcanoes and earthquakes
- North and east coast face the pacific ocean which is the most tsunami prone ocean
What other factors make the Philippines at risk? (not tectonic)
- steep topography, high levels of deforestation and high amounts of precipitation means landslides are common
- lies within a major typhoon belt
- subject to monsoon rains
Human
-quick development has led to rapid urbanisation and high population density
- many of the countries poor live in coastal areas, where hazards are made worse by poorly constructed housing and infrastructure
- 25% live in poverty
What tectonic event happened in 2004?
The Indian ocean boxing day earthquake and tsunami.
What were the key facts about the 2004 indian ocean earthquake?
- Earthquake had a magnitude of 8-8.9 on Richter scale.
- Hypocentre depth of 10km below sea level.
- Destructive boundary between the Indo-Australian plate.
What were the key social impacts of the 2004 Indian ocean tsunami?
-Total death toll estimated at 228,000.
1.7 million were left homeless or displaced
.
-Widespread destruction; sewage, no clean water, disease, infrastructure demolished.
-Loss of tourism, many residents refuse to ever return.
What were the key economic impacts of the 2004 Indian ocean tsunami?
- Communication links destroyed, relief aid was not easily reached.
- Port and airport damage reduces transport/accessibility.
- Loss of infrastructure/government pay out for victims.
- Many local businesses were destroyed, unemployment
What were they key environmental impacts of the 2004 Indian tsunami?
-
Sewage/debris spread disease/injury.
Toxic gases/fumes/electricity lines were released causing fires.
-
Land became infertile, habitats and wildlife were wiped out.
-
Crops and yield were completely Destroyed.
What was the effect of the indian ocean tsunami on sri lanka’s coastal workforce?
destroyed 60% of the fishing fleet
Why was the 2004 indian ocean tsunami so destructive?
- epicentre close to densely populated coastal communities
- low lying coastlines of many Indian ocean countries meant that the tsunami waves were able to travel several kilometres inland
- no early warning systems, many of the countries were low income countries
- destruction of mangroves in Sri lanka resulted in less natural protection
Why did Haiti take longer to recover from the 2010 disaster than other countries?
- limited accessibility/infrastructure as Haiti only had one airport and a few main roads, so crucial aid were prevented from being effectively distributed
- over a quarter government officials killed
- out break of cholera due to poor sanitation.
- aid was organised from outside organisation, hampering Haiti’s ability to become self sufficient.
What magnitude was the Haiti 2010 earthquake?
mag 7
What a good contrasting case study for a country that responded well to a disaster?
Japan 2011 earthquake
What two components enabled japan to respond better to their 2011 earthquake than Haiti or china?
1) Japans Preparation
2) Japans Response
How was Japan well prepared for a hazard event?
1) Strict building regulations meant 75% of buildings were constructed with earthquakes in mind.
- Low level of corruption
2) Well developed disaster plans
- Vulnerable areas with 10m high sea walls
- early warning systems in place
- many homes supplied with earthquake emergency kits
3) Education and preparedness
- emergency drills are regularly practised in both schools and businesses
How did japan respond to the 2011 earthquake?
- Deployed 110,000 military troops
- Complete media coverage
- Japanese banks reimbursed ($183 billion by the bank of japan)
- Japan quickly accepted international aid
What were the impacts of the japan 2011 earthquake?
- Caused a tsunami causing the meltdown of Fukushima
- around 20,000 deaths
- Cost of around £150 billion in damage
- Closure of nuclear power plants
