Geomorphology: Preparation of Earthquakes Essay

Preparation of Earthquakes1. Building designs & locationsa. Fault lines should be shown on maps for people to avoid constructing buildings preceding(prenominal) active fault linesb. If not, foundation of buildings must be extended to solid material c. High-risk areas should take aim low-density land used. Steel structures construct to prevent buildings from collapsing when the ground movesi. Taipei 101 has a steel pendulum that would sway & tame resonance amplification during an earthquakeii. Tokyos buildings strengthen to adjudge stronger earthquakese. Shock-absorbing rubber blocks installed in buildings to absorb earthquake energy & oscillationsf. Electric supplies installed in buildings in Japan & San Francisco with auto shutoffs to prevent firesg. Fireproof materials used in fittings of buildings to reduce intensity of fires BUTh. Developing countries may not be as well prepared as Developed countries i. Quite costly for the whole earth to have earthquake resistant feature s j. Less Developed Countries would have less money for such investment k. Over-congested cities would be a death-trap during an earthquake i. Kobe has many areas with delicate & old structures which collapsed during the Earthquakeii. Many buildings & infrastructures collapsed in Sichuan 2008 due to corruption iii. To save cost & time, materials used to build schools were low quality, resulting in collapse of the buildingsiv. Haiti had no reinforced buildings & the govt building collapsed during the earthquake too2. Drills/ Educationa. In Japan, annual drills are conducted to prepare & educate the population b. Warning systems such as SMS were used to discourage the Japanese of impending disasters c. Data collected from constant monitoring of areas in the cities helped to save many lives d. Japan invested thousands of dollars in seismographs and data collection systems to monitor the sea & ground movementsBUTe. Some cities/countries do not have such warning & monitoring systemsf. There was no warning for the Indonesian quake & tsunamii. problematic as most people could not afford phones or TVsg. Though given prior warning, there was only 15min to seek shelter when there were no transportation or shelters to go toi. Warning had a minimal effect Populations in Developed countries tend to be much prepared as they have greater financial means for drills & use of technology for warnings3. Predictiona. Many countries have been investing in earthquake shoution i. Studying patterns of antecedent earthquakes & physical behaviours ii. Useful if accurate prediction of next earthquake can be made b. China has saved many lives through a few victorious predictions c. Japan has been researching on animals behaviour for earthquake prediction BUTd. However, predictions made may not be accurate e. China managed to predict an earthquake that hit Beijing 9 hours later i. Failed to do so for a similar but stronger earthquake 1 year later f. Their previous prediction saved many lives as evacuation was carried out, with less than 2k deathsg. However, there was no preparation or evacuation process for the later earthquake, resulting in more than 60k deathsIHE Notes Preparation of EarthquakesConclusion Developed countries living near earthquake zones would be more prepared than Developing countries Individuals are educated on the appropriate reactions during & afterwards earthquakes Stronger & better buildings are built, minimizing damage dealt & saving lives However, corruption may be rampant and thus require assistance from other countries for recovery Developed countries the like Japan did not survive the tsunami either, despite great preparation