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World's most earthquake-vulnerable cities
by Barry Artiste | May 24, 2008 at 01:40 am | 680 views | 9 comments
Opinion
Barry Artiste, Now Public Contributor
Burma's horrific situation, followed by China's recent disaster in such short order, has certainly let the world take notice and not be as complacent in that it couldn't happen to me.
Below are links that belie that complacency in that it can and will happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime.
Best be Prepared.
Many think in the lower mainland and other countries that Emergency Responders will immediately run out and rescue you is a false assumption.
Emergency Responders are human, and will ensure their own family is alive, safe and healthy before heading out to assist others, it is human nature. Rescue , Food, or Shelter and medical help in a major disaster can take a minimum of a week to get help, it will be total chaos.
Ever notice those steel containers outside school yards, with graffitti on them, they are emergency supplies, water, medicine, "meals ready to eat" called MRE's, etc for your children. But it will only last a few days until help arrives.
Do You have anything like the above supplies outside your home in a garden shed or in your car to last you and your family for a few days? If not, maybe you should consider it.
The last place to put your supplies is in your home, kinda hard to get to them if the house is flatter than a pancake!
You should also know it is human nature to be complacent, and if you are not prepared, it may be too little too late.
Go to the internet and find out what you need to do in the event of a natural disaster.
One more thing, in a major natural disaster, you will not be allowed to start driving helter skelter throughout the lower mainland, you will be forced out of your car and stopped. The roads have to be kept clear for emergency responders, police, fire and relief workers.
The only people allowed to drive through most major arteries in the lower mainland will be those who need to get to their Emergency Response, Police of Fire Stations. Hence why I drive a 4-wheel drive, and carry the identification, and if lost a symbol in my personal vehicle which allows me access. I have posted a facsimile photo of that Government Emergency Response Symbol in this story.
The earthquake in China's Sichuan province killed perhaps 50,000 people and left thousands of people buried under heaps of rubble.
And while a massive quake like this one -- magnitude 7.9 -- would undoubtedly do damage to any world city, the death toll and degree of destruction has more to do with investment in well-designed infrastructure capable of handling a massive earthquake than the quake itself. Unlike the Beijing Olympic venues, built to withstand a magnitude 8.0 earthquake, the majority of China's infrastructure in the area proved ill-prepared for a shock like Monday's--felt as far away as Hanoi, Vietnam, and Bangkok, Thailand.
Blame the mortality spread on exponential population growth, increasing poverty and lax or nonexistent building codes. In short: Poor nations -- like China -- run far greater risk of earthquake fatalities than rich ones.
News Tools
May 24, 2008 at 01:40 am by Barry Artiste, 680 views, 9 comments
Author
Crowd Power
Barry Artiste
Vancouver, Canada
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Comments (9)
at 07:16 on May 24th, 2008
Barry Artiste, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 08:05 on May 24th, 2008
Thanks Jordan, my role won't be anything safe like law and order, I am tasked search and control of Nuclear, Biological, Chemical, Weapons and Human Risk Environments. Yeah, I am sure I'll be just really friggin popular around BC, looking like Darth Vader in my Yellow Big Bird outfit.
This is my companion piece on some things BC'ers may expect similar to Chinas recent disaster.
http://www.nowpublic.com/world/quake-buried-50-radiation-sources
at 09:02 on May 24th, 2008
Barry Artiste, I like this story. It's good stuff.
dehradun capital of uttarakhand falls in zone 5 that means the earthquake of 7 is presumed for the region.the himalayan region is very active due to new fold mountain status,where the mountains are still in formation stage.the two earthquakes of Uttarkashi and chamoli corroburate the fact
at 09:07 on May 24th, 2008
Thanks Azzay for this, the wonders of science and plate tetonics makes one wonder why India and Asia seem to bear the brunt of Mother Natures wrath?
at 15:28 on May 24th, 2008
Barry Artiste, I like this story. Good point.
We had a small earthquake reach London a few months back. I completely slept through through it though. I did have a chat with an Evening Standard lady in Oxford Street who said her neighbour's house's chimney fell off. In Kent we had a massive one in the 1600s. I discovered that on a 'disaster site' for my local town. (discovered we even a plague of hairy caterpillars too).
at 15:39 on May 24th, 2008
Thanks for the useful tips.
at 15:52 on May 24th, 2008
Your welcome Beaulieu, tips everyone should adhere to, especially loamy soils such as in England and swamps in Paris, earthquakes there would be disasterous turning your soil into a soup.
at 21:22 on May 24th, 2008
I knew I would find Vancouver on the list!
at 23:21 on May 24th, 2008
Well Amy, that was a given, our Delta region, and Richmond are pretty much built on Leda Clay, which when hard is okay, but put some water on it and it turns to soup/ If an earthquake of any significant scale hits us, those dikes keeping the Pacific Ocean back from Delta and Richmond will be the first to go, making Burnaby and Surrey oceanfront property. It is estimated Richmond and Delta would be under 3 to 8 feet of water and it would take a while to flood the area allowing most to escape to higher ground. I know if I lived there, I would have a canoe with a motor in my garage. We are going to have another Katrina in the making unless we shore those dikes and stop building communities on old garbage dumps and Leda Clay, especially near dikes like Katrina.
Anyways Thanks for the comments and dropping by.