On Earthquake Readiness: San Diego, California - Research Paper Example

On Earthquake Readiness: San Diego, California In talking about natural disasters, several people think that the San Diego county is not as susceptible to earthquakes as it is to landslides and wildfires. However, contrary to popular belief, the San Diego county is not as free from the dangers of earthquakes as residents there would like to think (Lutz, Bernard, and Housen 1377). Generally, the San Andreas fault garners the most attention in discussions about earthquakes. This thinking is due to the fact that the San Andreas fault and San Jacinto fault, which is California’s second most active fault, are both more than sixty miles away from the main areas of the San Diego county (Grant and Shearer 748-9). This seemingly safe distance coupled by the fact that there had been no damaging earthquakes recently makes people believe that an earthquake is a concern for the Southern Californians only. It may then be surprising to know that another fault, called the Rose Canyon, is situated right under the heart of the San Diego county. The Rose Canyon fault runs along downtown San Diego, through San Diego Bay, and northwards through La Jolla and along the coast (Grant and Shearer 750).This fact should be a cause of major concern not only for those directly impacted by it, but for other people as well. The frequency of earthquake occurrences in the different counties in South California serve as reminder of the existing and active faultlines that could easily pose tragedies to those who are not ready. Even though the major movements of a single fault happen sparingly, with usually longer than a human lifetime interval, scattered throughout the region are still lhundreds of faults, with two or three having major movements every several years or so. These movements of faultlines are almost always felt in the San Diego county (Lutz, Bernard, and Housen 1377). However, the distance usually cause these quakes to be unimpressive enough to not cause any major concern. Still, no one should take chances with the possiblity that major movements on San Andreas, San Jacinto, and Elsinore faults can cause strong tremors than are usually experienced in the San Diego county (Lutz, Bernard, and Housen 1377). In the past, San Diego county really does not have the same history as south California when it comes to earthquakes. Even the Rose Canyon fault, which is the sole major fault at the heart of the county, has not produced major tremors for a long time now. However, California considers it an active faultline due to earthquakes caused by this fault in the past 11,000 years (Smith 618-9). Since people only have a short history of residency in the region, it causes a false sense of safety --- thinking that major earthquakes will not happen at least in the near future. Still, a major consideration is that the Rose Canyon fault has is capable of producing devastating damages should a major quake happen along it. Most of the county’s populace live within 15 miles from the fault, and a major earthquake could not only cause severe damage to the entire region, but put the main economic center on hold for months or even years (Grant and Shearer 751). No one takes earthquakes for granted as they are capable not only of direct damages to the impacted areas, but also indirect disasters such as fire. For example, if a major event occurs during fire season, then the damages the earthquakes could present are real dangers that require attention from the citizens of the county. Thus, preparedness and proper planning should be done as early as possible to reduce any possible losses or damages this disaster could cause (Smith 618). According to a UCLA study, most experts regard earthquakes in California as an inevitable event, yet most Californians are not prepapred for a major quake. According to the study, which was commissioned by California Emergency Management Agency, only 40 percent of the families have a family disaster plan. Also, merely 40 percent have drinking water stored in their homes, less than 35 percent have the knowledge in safeguarding their finances and structuring their homes better. No more than 20 percent have actually reinforced their houses, and the same low percentage of residents have acquired eathquake insurances. What is even more dangerous is that those located in higher-risk areas are those who made the least preparations (Shelly 1385). Everyone should get involved in studying the preparations done to mitigate any possible damages and equate these to the assessed possible risk of devastation of a future earthquake. This means that the preparations done should outweigh the assessed possibilities of damages, and not the other way around. Additionally, dissemination of information and education-related activities should be implemented by various community groups, non-profit organizations, and the local government. As early as now, these bodies should be aware of how many resources and how much time they want to devote to disaster education, planning, and preparedness (Shelly 1385). Planning disaster preparedness is not as easy as it sounds. In the article “Thinking About Catastrophe” by Richard Posner, he explores the reasons behind almost every society’s lack of preparation for disasters. He mentions that cost-benefit analysis is the main limitation in any dealing with catastrophes. He claims that private citizens have “psychological anxieties” that thwart them from planning and thinking about seemingly far-flung chances and absorbing facts and data thrown at them by the media, experts, or the government. Similarly, as per Posner, government officials have reasons why they do not address the concern beforehand, even if they know that advanced disaster planning and preparedness could save them large amounts of money in the event of a catastrophe (Smith 6134-6). Recently, several big quakes occurred in several parts of the world. They have hit populated areas of the affected countries. In recent weeks, the most talked about earthquake is that of Japan, which devastated a great part of the country. Japan is considered one, if not the most, earthquake-ready nation in the world (Nomille 1375). If such a devastation occurred in Japan, what could be expected in areas that are not earthquake or disaster ready? For sure, many people would remember the 7.2 earthquake that hit Mexicali and whose tremors reached offices and living rooms from San Diego to Los Angeles. That quake left an estimated amount of 1 million dollars in damages to the town’s border. Still, it can be argued that the quake’s effect in San Diego downtown is minimal (Shelly 1385). However, as minor shakes rattled nerves of residents on that day, one cannot help but ask if San Diego is ready for a major event. Most probably the answer is no. Another question would be if San Diego is due for a major event. The safest answer is yes (Smith 644). Last year, a seismologist and San Diego State University professor in the Department of Geological Sciences, Kim Olsen, announced that San Diego should prepare for a big quake. Several seismologists share his theory that San Diego is long overdue for a major earthquake that could cause damages of large proportions. Unfortunately, science cannot predict an absolute answer to “why” and “how.” The best option at present is to merely name probabilities, and hopefully counter them with readiness. He added that in Southern California, there is a very high likelihood that a major earthquake will occur within the next three decades (Nomille 1376). This should pose aconcern not only to south California, but to surrounding and adjacent regions as well, such as San Diego. Works Cited Asato, Susan C. Living on the Fault Line: Earthquake Preparedness and Survival in San Diego. Oceanside, Calif: Mira Costa College, 1995. Print. Grant, Lisa B, and Peter M. Shearer. "Activity of the Offshore Newport-Inglewood Rose Canyon Fault Zone, Coastal Southern California, from Relocated Microseismicity." Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. 94.2 (2004): 747-752. Print. Litchfield, Douglas. Elsinore Fault Response Plan. San Diego, Calif.: Metropolitan Water District of Southern Claifornia, 1996. Print. Lutz, Andrew T. D. R. J, and Bernard A. J. S. U. Housen. "Stratigraphy - Stratigraphic Record of Pleistocene Faulting and Basin Evolution in the Borrego Badlands, San Jacinto Fault Zone, Southern California." Geological Society of America Bulletin. 118.11 (2006): 1377. Print. Magistrale, H. "Seismicity of the Rose Canyon Fault Zone Near San Diego, California." Bulletin- Seismological Society of America. 83.6 (1994): 1971. Print. Normile, D. "Japan Disaster. Devastating Earthquake Defied Expectations." Science (new York, N.y.). 331.6023 (2011): 1375-6. Print. Pinkowski, Jack. Disaster Management Handbook. Boca Raton: CRC, 2008. Print. Proceedings: 2nd International Conference Amsterdam 22-23-24 April 1996. Amsterdam, Netherlands?: S.n, 1996. Print. Scharer, K. "Changing Views of the San Andreas Fault." Science. 327.5969 (2010): 1089-1090. Print. Shelly, David R. "Periodic, Chaotic, and Doubled Earthquake Recurrence Intervals on the Deep San Andreas Fault." Science. 328.5984 (2010): 1385. Print. Smith, Joseph. "Natural Hazards: Geology, Engineering, Agriculture, and Sociopolitical/humanitarian Considerations for the Twenty-First Century." International Geology Review. 42.7 (2000): 617-656. Print. Treiman, Jerome A. The Rose Canyon Fault Zone, Southern California. Sacramento, CA: California Dept. of Conservation, Division of Mines and Geology, 1993. Print. Read More