Earthquake
An earthquake of magnitude 7.0 stalled the Caribbean island nation of Haiti on Tuesday, January 12, 2010, the most powerful earthquake that struck Haiti for almost 200 years. The epicenter was located 15 miles southwest of the capital, Port-au-Prince, at a depth of 6.2 miles below the surface of the earth. The event took place in the fault system of the Enriquile-Plantain Garden in southern Haiti, which is a dip from the left lateral displacement to the east-west. This failure system did not cause a major earthquake in recent decades, although it may be a likely source of historical large earthquakes in 1860, 1770, 1761, 1751, 1684, 1673 and 1618. The earthquake was felt through Haiti, the Dominican Republic, the south-eastern part of Cuba, eastern Jamaica, as well as in some areas of Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. However, since the source of the earthquake was shallow, the shaking intensity was stronger and more localized in the area along the fault.
losses
After several weeks of such a catastrophic earthquake, it is impossible to find out the number of dead or causes (injuries and deaths). However, according to USA Today, the death toll has risen to 230,000 by February 9. One third of nine million Haitians needed emergency assistance in accordance with the International Federation of the Red Cross. Many hundreds of thousands of people are still homeless and sleeping on the streets. This superimposed the earthquake in Haiti as one of the deadliest earthquakes in the past four decades. The last of these catastrophic earthquakes was an earthquake in Sichuan province on May 12, 2008 in China, which is considered the third deadly earthquake. According to the US Geological Survey for the Earthquake in Sichuan Province; at least 69,195 people were killed, 3,74177 injured and 18,392 missing and allegedly died. Over 45.5 million people were affected in 10 provinces and regions. At least 15 million people were evacuated from their homes and more than 5 million were left homeless.
Damage to buildings
Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere, where more than 80% of the population lives below the poverty line. The earthquake caused serious damage and destruction in the area of Port-au-Prince, which is densely populated. The President of Haiti made a desperate call for international assistance after the earthquake, stating that the tremor was catastrophic and unimaginable, and that parliament, the tax service, schools and hospitals collapsed. Other destroyed or heavily damaged buildings include the UN peacekeeping mission, the presidential palace, the national cathedral and the main prison. Haiti most likely does not have a building code, where poor design, inadequate materials and unkempt construction methods contributed to the destruction of buildings. An even newer design was developed to withstand vertical loads of hurricanes, but not lateral loads of earthquakes. The loading path, as well as the technical design and detail of the compounds for hurricanes and earthquakes, are completely different. Many buildings collapsed just like pancakes, as builders laid a reinforced concrete roof over low-quality bricks, building blocks or thin columns. Other non-metallic reinforced concrete buildings collapsed because builders or owners tried to cut costs by avoiding cement, adding excess water and reducing the amount of reinforcing steel.
Lessons learned
The situation will certainly be different if a similar earthquake strikes the United States, where design engineers design buildings to withstand lateral earthquake forces in accordance with valid strict building design codes. At the same time, local authorities apply good construction methods. However, there are still many lessons to be learned from the earthquake in Haiti, the most important of which are:
Earthquake knowledge should be at all. Haitians have not experienced a large earthquake since 1860, and it seems that they did not even know that they are living or approaching the historically active fault system. In the United States, raising public awareness of earthquakes in the Central and Eastern United States will be encouraged for many active seismic regions that have experienced major historical earthquakes and may develop average daily earthquakes in the future. These regions include, but are not limited to:
- New Madrid seismic zone in southeastern Missouri, where in the winter of 1811-1812. Three of the largest historical earthquakes of magnitude 7.0-8.0 occurred; December 16, 1811; January 23, 1812; and February 7, 1812. The region of potential earthquake impact in this zone consists of eight states: Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee.
- The Wabash Valley seismic zone along the Illinois-Indiana border, which is capable of generating an earthquake of 7.1 magnitude, which can affect three states: Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky.
- The Charleston area in South Carolina, which was hit on August 31, 1886 by one of the largest earthquakes in the history of the United States.
Earthquake Preparedness It seems to be missing from the earthquake in Haiti or from the government side, which can only be associated with hurricanes or persons who cannot even afford to buy and maintain spare supplies due to poverty levels. During the second annual exploration drilling of the Great California ShakeOut, Californians were reminded to prepare an individual survival kit for each family member and an emergency kit at home, as well as stock up on spare food and water for 1-2 weeks to prepare for the next inevitable earthquake. In fact, anyone living in an active seismic region in the United States and around the world should have an earthquake preparedness plan.
How can individuals reduce earthquake risks?
If your home was built before 1980, you may have to modify it, especially if it is close to an active error (15 miles or less). Seismic retrofit measures ensure the structural integrity of your home to withstand earthquakes with little structural damage. Upgrading is your own decision at your own risk and risk, depending on your financial situation, as this can be costly. However, this can be addressed one step at a time. The best return on investment in modernization efforts is to initially solve problems with the basics, followed by fixing the walls of a cripple, and then reinforce the soft history and ending with fixing or securing the stone chimney.
You must reduce the content of your home, regardless of whether you modify it or not. Earthquake mitigation measures are simple methods used to protect non-structural elements and the contents of your home from exploring the inner walls to reduce the risk of life and investment, using inexpensive hardware and materials found in home appliances stores and home centers, Elements in the garage also must be secured to reduce damage to vehicles. Own means of mitigation can be undertaken by homeowners, as they are simple to explain and do not require special knowledge, materials or tools for implementation.
Concluding remarks
Knowledge and preparation for earthquakes are key elements for all who live in an earthquake. The US Geological Survey website is an excellent source of information on earthquakes by country / region. The earthquake in Haiti serves as a reminder to people about reviewing, updating or developing their own earthquake preparedness plan. Emergency food and water for 1-2 weeks should be maintained at any time, along with individual survival kits and an emergency kit at home. The benefits of seismic modernization and mitigation far outweigh the mere reduction in financial loss. This will make your home safer and will help in returning your family much faster to returning to a normal lifestyle.
