The Worst Natural Disasters - Essay Example

Natural disasters Natural disasters Introduction An earthquake is also known as a tremor or a quake and is a consequence of sudden energy release from the Earth’s crust that builds seismic waves. Thus, the seismism, seismic activity or seismicity of a region refers to the form, size and frequency of earthquakes experienced over a certain period of time. Normally earthquakes are determined by use of seismometers observations. The most popular scale on which earthquakes bigger than magnitude 5 recorded for the whole globe are measured is known as on moment magnitude. Nevertheless, majority of earthquakes less than magnitude 5 reported on various seismological observatories are determined frequently on the Richter magnitude scale. Earthquakes manifest themselves on the surface of the earth by shaking and at times displacing the ground. Earthquakes in Japan There is a long history of seismic activity and earthquakes in Japan .Japan is a region characterized by high seismicity due to its location which is near main tectonic plate borders and is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire. Geologically the Japanese islands are as a consequence of many big oceanic movements taking place more than hundreds of millions of years ago. Originally Japan was attached to the Eurasian continent’s eastern coast. Since the Eurasian plates were less deep than the subducting plates, Japan was pulled eastwards forming the Sea of japan about fifteen million years ago (Smits,2014). Whereas on 23 August 416, an earthquake is mentioned in Yamato(present day Nara the Prefecture) initial earthquake to be dependably recorded occurred on28 May,599 in Nara prefecture ,during Empress Suiko’s reign, damaging buildings through the entire Yamato province. Several other historical accounts of earthquakes occurrences exist and with the creation of Imperial Earthquake Investigation Committee in 1892, systematic collation of all available data was conducted and in 1899 published. The committee was suspended in 1923 after the occurrence of the Kanto earthquake and in 1925 and the Earthquake Research Institute superseded it (Clancey, 2006). The Kanto earthquake that occurred in 1923 is one of the deadliest in the history of Japan claiming about 105,385 deaths, whereas the Tohuku earthquake in 2011 is the costliest (USD 235 billion) and strongest earthquake on record. It is also the most costly natural disaster to occur globally to date. There are numerous other earthquakes that have occurred and have been recorded in the history of Japan. Nevertheless, the Tohuku earthquake of 11th march 2011 is the strongest in Japan’s history as well as the strongest in global history. It also holds the spot of being the costliest natural disaster in world’s history. Thus, Tohuku earthquake generated a tsunami roughly 10 metres and on the moment magnitude scale, measured 9.0.Inspite of the warning systems, the earthquake together with the tsunami killed thousands, destroying over 100,000 buildings and numerous towns in essence entirely destroyed. Due to these frequent earthquakes, the Japanese government over the years has been enforcing standards on making buildings and other structures earthquake resistant, especially in known and prone disaster regions. Every household in Japan has been advised to maintain a survival kit comprising of food and water to last them for some days, a radio, flashlight, first aid kit as well as avoid positioning heavy objects in places where they can fall easily in the event of an earthquake thus hampering their quick response or causing harm. Several centres and organizations of research have been set up in Japan so as to study seismological activities. The commonly used scale for measuring earthquakes in Japan by seismic activity rather than magnitude is the shindo scale (Adcock, 2012). The San Francisco Earthquake-1906 On the morning of Wednesday, 18th April, a major quake struck Northern California coast leading to breaking out of devastating fires lasting for numerous days. Consequently 3,000 persons lost their lives with over 80 percent of San Francisco devastated; leaving over 400,000 of the city’s residents without homes. The earthquake together with the resultant fires is on the record as one of the worst natural calamities ever to occur in the US alongside the 1900 Galveston Hurricane and the 2005 Hurricane Katrina. The death toll as a result from the quake fire remains in the history of California as the biggest loss of lives from a natural calamity. Whereas the earthquake lasted for a few seconds, its immediate effect was disastrous. The fires ignited destroyed almost 500 city blocks. Inspite of San Francisco’s huge military swift response, devastation still was enormous. There was an outpouring of aid from all over the world, nevertheless, the survivor s experienced days of hardship and difficulty (Cooke, 2005). Majority of the survivors used tents for sleeping in and around city parks with the Presidio standing in long queues; lining for food and were needed to prepare their own food on the street so as to minimize the danger of extra fires. The Us Congress responded to the disaster in numerous ways, for instance the House and Senate Appropriations Committee passed emergency appropriations San Francisco to pay for water, food, blankets, tents as well as medical supplies in the days that followed the quake and the fire. The Senate also appropriated monies to rebuild several of the public buildings that suffered damage or destruction. In addition, the House Claims Committee handled claims arising from owners looking for reimbursements for their property that was destroyed. For instance, the committee heard claims from the proprietors of numerous saloons and liquor stores whose supplies were destroyed by police officers attempting to reduce the chances of fire spreading together with possible mob violence threat. For instance, police destroyed intoxicating liquors approximated USD30, 000 (Worth, 2006). Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina struck early in the morning of 29th August 2006 at the Gulf Coast of the US. Thus when the storm finally made a landfall, it was rated 3 on Saffir-Simpson Hurricane scale-coming with continued winds of 100 to 140 miles per hour, in addition to stretching some 400 miles across. Whereas the storm caused a lot of damage itself, nevertheless, it was its aftermath that was very catastrophic. There was massive flooding resulting from Levee breaches, with several people charging the federal with responding slowly in meeting the need of the victims especially the ones affected by the storm. In addition, numerous people in Alabama. Mississippi and Louisiana were displaced and removed from their homes with experts estimating that the hurricane caused over USD 100 billion in damages. Read More