So what can happen when an earthquake hits?

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So what can happen when an So what can happen when an earthquake hits?earthquake hits?

I guess it depends on how big it is,

how close it is to people and

….

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Remember this from last week?Remember this from last week?These are all the earthquakes of magnitude These are all the earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or greater for 2010. There were 10 7.0 or greater for 2010. There were 10 earthquakes 7 – 7.5, in which 3 had deaths, earthquakes 7 – 7.5, in which 3 had deaths, but 5 over 7.5 of which 2 had deathsbut 5 over 7.5 of which 2 had deaths

Red >7.5 – with !! means deathsBlue<7.5 or wheelchair is <7.5 + deaths

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Also – all those in which deaths occurred had their focus under the land – whereas none of those that had a focus out at sea did.But here is an interesting one:2 places had earthquakes of identical magnitude – 7.0 – which were both under landHaiti – deaths – about 250,000 with another 300,000 injuredWellington New Zealand – 2 severe injuries (1 broken glass and 1 hit by a falling chimney) and no confirmed death due to the quake itself.Anyone any idea why that might be?

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Most likely to be an …HIC or Most likely to be an …HIC or LIC?LIC?

1. We have enough problems in the country. We don’t plan for earthquakes.

2. Our local authority has a local emergency plan so the police, ambulances and fire brigade are prepared if an earthquake occurs.

3. Disease has spread so quickly since the earthquake happened.

4. Oxfam has sent water and sanitation equipment, including bladder tanks and water purification chemicals.

5. The area has ‘earthquake proof’ housing. Blocks of flats have rubber shock absorbers in the foundations.

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Most likely to be an …Most likely to be an …HIC or LIC?HIC or LIC?

6. Children practice ‘earthquake drills’ every half-term at school.

7. Thousands of people have been left homeless.

8. Aftershocks are a regular occurrence after the earthquake.

9. A 6.3 on the Richter scale has resulted in 30,000 deaths.

10. The family has a special supply of water and food rations, together with basic medical supplies and batteries in preparation for an earthquake.

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This is a seismograph (or This is a seismograph (or sometimes called a sometimes called a

seismogram)seismogram)Can you remember from last week the order of events when a quake hits? And where does each start?

A B

C

D

Also, How many

seconds does C last ion

this occasion?And how long after A is C?

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In 1989 San Francisco was hit by an earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale. It killed 263 people and injured hundreds more. The quake struck at rush hour which meant many were out of their homes at the time. Estimates of the damage were $7 billion. President Bush offered immediate aid.

Living graph – San Francisco Earthquake

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Statements1. The city breathes a sigh of relief                2. Buildings collapse in downtown San Francisco        3. The price of water and electricity goes up4. The rural area around San Francisco is unusually quiet - there

is no noise from birds and animals 5. A baseball stadium full of people starts to crack, people are

injured as a stampede starts  6. Mrs. Lotham falls to her death as the stairs in her house

collapse7. The millionaire, J. R. Bannister, is very upset as his very

expensive Ming vase smashes.

Living graph – San Francisco Earthquake

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Statements8. Emergency services are put out a red alert. 9. Fires break out in a subway10. Mr. Lee, a television store owner, loses a lot of stock due to

looting                            11. A head teacher alerts her staff in San Jose primary school to

put the earthquake drill into practice12. Mrs. Williams persuades her children to shelter under a table

in case they are injured by falling walls13. Burglar alarms go off all over the city

Living graph – San Francisco Earthquake

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H = Hazards caused by the quake, E = Effect as a H = Hazards caused by the quake, E = Effect as a result of the quake but not caused by it; R = result of the quake but not caused by it; R =

ResponseResponseStatements1. The city breathes a sigh of relief                2. Buildings collapse in downtown San Francisco        3. The price of water and electricity goes up4. The rural area around San Francisco is unusually quiet - there is

no noise from birds and animals 5. A baseball stadium full of people starts to crack, people are

injured as a stampede starts  6. Mrs. Lotham falls to her death as the stairs in her house

collapse7. The millionaire, J. R. Bannister, is very upset as his very

expensive Ming vase smashes.8. Emergency services are put out a red alert. 9. Fires break out in a subway10. Mr. Lee, a television store owner, loses a lot of stock due to

looting                            11. A head teacher alerts her staff in San Jose primary school to

put the earthquake drill into practice12. Mrs. Williams persuades her children to shelter under a table in

case they are injured by falling walls13. Burglar alarms go off all over the city

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In 2001 an earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale hit the heavily populated state of Gujarat in western India. More than 15,000 people were killed, 33,000 injured and over a million people made homeless without food or shelter. Costs vary according to who is counting but US$1.3 - 5 billion

Living graph – Indian Earthquake

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Statements1. A school collapses killing many of the children within it.2. Whole towns and villages surrounding the epicentre

collapse.3. Electricity and water supplies are cut off by the tremors.4. Rescuers use their bare hands to rescue relatives

trapped in the rubble.5. Britain send in specialist equipment to check if there is

still life under the rubble and pledge £3million in aid.

Living graph – Indian Earthquake

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Statements6. Many Indian people are outdoors celebrating the Republic Day

activities when a low deep rumble starts. 7. Indian soldiers' dig two survivors out of the rubble of their

apartment 10 days after the earthquake hit.8. Decomposing corpses and contaminated water supplies pose

a serious threat to the survivors’ of India's devastating earthquake.

9. Mrs Singh shouts to her family to her family to shelter under their table to protect themselves from the falling debris.

10. A tourist in the Prince Hotel was in the lobby when the whole building began swaying from side to side.

Living graph – Indian Earthquake

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H = Hazards caused by the quake, E = Effect as a H = Hazards caused by the quake, E = Effect as a result of the quake but not caused by it; R = result of the quake but not caused by it; R =

ResponseResponseStatements1. A school collapses killing many of the children within it.2. Whole towns and villages surrounding the epicentre collapse.3. Electricity and water supplies are cut off by the tremors.4. Rescuers use their bare hands to rescue relatives trapped in

the rubble.5. Britain send in specialist equipment to check if there is still life

under the rubble and pledge £3million in aid.6. Many Indian people are outdoors celebrating the Republic Day

activities when a low deep rumble starts. 7. Indian soldiers' dig two survivors out of the rubble of their

apartment 10 days after the earthquake hit.8. Decomposing corpses and contaminated water supplies pose a

serious threat to the survivors’ of India's devastating earthquake.

9. Mrs Singh shouts to her family to her family to shelter under their table to protect themselves from the falling debris.

10. A tourist in the Prince Hotel was in the lobby when the whole building began swaying from side to side.

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What are the differences?What are the differences?The 2 earthquakes?The damage they caused?How they were dealt with?

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If you are in a danger zoneIf you are in a danger zone1. Make the buildings as safe as 1. Make the buildings as safe as

possible possible 2. Make sure you have a 2. Make sure you have a

personal plan personal plan

So what can be done?

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What makes a building fail in What makes a building fail in

earthquakes?earthquakes? An Earthquake moves the ground. It can be one sudden movement, or more likely a series of shock waves at short intervals. It can move the land up and down, and it can move it from side to side.All buildings are strong enough to support their own weight and most of them can carry quite a bit more in terms of what is stored in them – these all exert vertical forces which the building can withstand. So the most vertical shock waves can taken by most buildings.But side-to-side forces are a different matter. This weakness would only be found out when the Earthquake strikes, and this is a bad time to find out. It is this side-to-side load which causes the worst damage, often collapsing poor buildings on the first shake.The side-to-side load can be worse if the shocks come in waves, and some bigger buildings can vibrate like a huge tuning fork, each new sway bigger than the last.

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What makes a building fail in What makes a building fail in

earthquakes?earthquakes? In particular, some building are more susceptible:1. If extra floors are added, this makes them top heavy and more liable to collapse.2. In a building where floors and roofs just rest on the walls, held their by their own weight. This can result in a floor or roof falling off its support and crashing down, crushing anything below.3. If the metal rods in the concrete – re-enforced concrete – is not bonded tightly enough into the concrete columns, the concrete crumbles and the rods bend sideways, leaving the weight above unsupported.4. If the lower floors have headroom and are open sided, then they are only supported by tall columns. These tall columns support all the weight of the floors above and have the most to do and the least support if an earthquake hits – often it is these columns that fail first.5. Sometimes buildings are built on soft soil; this can turn into quicksand when shaken about, leading to complete slumping of buildings into the soil.

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The world’s biggest quake-proof buildingIstanbul’s brand new Sabiha Gökçen International Airport airport terminal opened on October 31st of this year and is now the world’s largest earthquake-proof building. Named after the world’s first woman combat pilot, the new 2 million square-foot structure is capable of not only withstanding a magnitude 8.0 earthquake – it’s also designed to remain completely operational afterwards. This is all due to new seismic building technology and advanced computer simulations that are able to predict how a building will react in order to keep it safe.

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Building safe buildingsBuilding safe buildingsThat is one way to approach it – if the ground shakes you need a device that does not mean the building does too.Another method, is to put some ‘give’ into the foundations

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Building safe buildingsBuilding safe buildingsNotice the cross-bracing in this oneAnother method, is to put some ‘give’ into the foundations

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So you live in an earthquake So you live in an earthquake zone – why would you stay zone – why would you stay

there?there?California, all around the edge of the Pacific, the Caribbean have the most earthquakes – but people going on living there.So what persuades them?

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So they live there – what can So they live there – what can they do to protect they do to protect

themselves?themselves?What they cannot do is predict when an earthquake is going to happen as with hurricanes or even volcanic eruptions.So, if you live in an HIC, what you can do is:Prepare for an earthquakeKnow what to do when it happensKnow what to do afterwardshttp://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/earthquake/preparedness_home.shtm#1 will fill in all the gaps that we talk about on the next few slides.

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Prepare for an earthquakePrepare for an earthquakeCheck for Hazards in the Home– They mention securing shelves – why? Storing

pesticides, flammable liquids etc in ‘safe place’ – where?

Identify Safe Places Indoors and Outdoors – Where might that be?

Educate Yourself and Family Members Have Disaster Supplies on Hand– What would you put in it?

Develop an Emergency Communication Plan Help Your Community Get Ready

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Know what to do when it Know what to do when it happenshappens

If you are inside, the advice is to stay thereIn California, all American school children are taught DROP – COVER – HOLDDROP – COVER – HOLD– What does that mean? Why do they do that? Nothing to get

under, then where?

If you are outside, stay there but move away from buildings – why?If you are in a moving vehicle, come to a stop, away from buildings, bridges etc – why?If trapped under debrisDo not light a match - why not? Do not move about or kick up dust. Cover your mouth with a handkerchief or clothing. Tap on a pipe or wall so rescuers can locate you. Use a whistle if one is available. Shout only as a last resort. Why?

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Know what to do afterwardsKnow what to do afterwardsExpect aftershocks. Listen to a battery-operated radio or television - Why?Use the telephone only for emergency calls – Why?Open cabinets cautiously– Why?.Stay away from damaged areas. Stay away unless your assistance has been specifically requested by police, fire, or relief organizations. Return home only when authorities say it is safe.Be aware of possible tsunamis if you live in coastal areas. – What are these and why are they a problem??.Help injured or trapped persons. Clean up spilled medicines, bleaches, gasoline or other flammable liquids immediately. Inspect utilities. Check for gas leaks. What would you do if you thought there was one? Would you know what to do in your home?Look for electrical system damage. What would you be on the look out for? What could you do? Do you know where to look in your home?Check for sewage and water lines damage. If you suspect sewage lines are damaged, avoid using the toilets and call a plumber. If water pipes are damaged, contact the water company and avoid using water from the tap. You can obtain safe water by melting ice cubes.

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HomeworkHomeworkImagine you are in an earthquake zone (maybe that’s true, in which case even more important!)Check out your house to see what changes you might like to make so it would be safer in a quake.Check you know where the water, electricity, (and gas if you have it) can be turned off.Find 3 good places indoors to DROP – COVER – DROP – COVER – HOLDHOLDFind (or imagine) a good-sized strong container to keep your emergency supplies in and list the things that should go in it.Write short report on what you have decided – take a picture or 2 to add to explain if you like – but do shrink the pictures reallyreally small – ask if you do not know how to do this.Do use http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/earthquake/preparedness_home.shtm#1 for ideas.