What Happens To The City When Earthquakes Occur?
During an earthquake everything starts shaking including the ground and things fall over. Earthquakes can destroy bridges, buildings, and even entire cities in just a few minutes. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there are as many as 1.3 million earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 2.0. The biggest earthquake in history was the quake that struck Chile in 1960. It had a magnitude of 9.5. It killed around 3,000 people and caused about $4 billion in damage.
Primary effects of an earthquake include:
Secondary effects include:
Primary effects of an earthquake include:
- People buried in rubble
- School children trapped under collapsed schools
- Buildings toppling over
Secondary effects include:
- Homelessness
- Need of emergency housing
- Inaccessible households due to landslides
- Loss of food
- A spread of disease, from people drinking dirty, contaminated water
- Cracks in the ground and walls.
- Buildings split in two.
- Lots of rubble that takes years to move
- Deforestation and loss of vegetation
- Disruption of groundwater and its flows
The Impact of the 2011 Sendai, Japan Earthquake
- Before - After
The Sendai, Japan earthquake in 2011 is considered the world's fifth largest earthquake since 1990 and the worst in Japan's history. It occured on March 11, 2011 around 2:46pm. It had a magnitude of 9.0. On March 9, a foreshock with a magnitude of 7.2 hit the city.
Comparing the above pictures of we can see that the earthquake certainly had made a devastating impact to the city. Before, the landscape was lush, green, full of plants and had lots of houses. In the after picture, the earthquake and its primary effects had caused a huge toll in the homes of the citizens and there are almost no houses or trees to be found. The landscape is now dry and full of soil, with barely any hints of grassland left.
Since land is low and flat along the Japanese coast, many areas are vulnerable to tsunamis.
Comparing the above pictures of we can see that the earthquake certainly had made a devastating impact to the city. Before, the landscape was lush, green, full of plants and had lots of houses. In the after picture, the earthquake and its primary effects had caused a huge toll in the homes of the citizens and there are almost no houses or trees to be found. The landscape is now dry and full of soil, with barely any hints of grassland left.
Since land is low and flat along the Japanese coast, many areas are vulnerable to tsunamis.
The impacts of an earthquake include:
- short-term (immediate) impacts
- long-term impacts
- social impacts (the impact on people)
- economic impacts (the impact on the wealth of an area)
- environmental impacts (the impact on the landscape)
The short term, social impacts of the Sendai, Japan earthquake in 2011 include destroyed homes, injury to people, lack of basic needs, death tolls, disruption of transportation and communication, disruption of electricity, water pipes may burst and water may be contaminated.
The economic impacts include destroyed shops and buildings, therefore stealing might take place and the damage to transport and communication may be difficult for trade. The country would experience financial loss because rebuilding settlements costs a high amount of money. There would be a loss of income including the wages of workers.
The environmental impacts include destroyed landscape such as trees, plants, grass, spreading of fires due to gas pipe explosions, causing damage to forests and woodland and possibly the city as well, occurring of landslides and tsunamis will cause flooding in the city. Important physical and cultural features could be lost.
The long term, social impacts include people being re-housed, causing diseases to be spread because everyone is all sharing the same rooms and necessities.
The economic impacts include destroyed shops and buildings, therefore stealing might take place and the damage to transport and communication may be difficult for trade. The country would experience financial loss because rebuilding settlements costs a high amount of money. There would be a loss of income including the wages of workers.
The environmental impacts include destroyed landscape such as trees, plants, grass, spreading of fires due to gas pipe explosions, causing damage to forests and woodland and possibly the city as well, occurring of landslides and tsunamis will cause flooding in the city. Important physical and cultural features could be lost.
The long term, social impacts include people being re-housed, causing diseases to be spread because everyone is all sharing the same rooms and necessities.