How Do Governments Respond to Large Volcanic and Earthquake Disasters - Research Paper Example

How do governments respond to large volcanic and/ or earthquake disasters? Thousands of lives are lost or disrupted every year around the world due to geohazards such as earthquakes, volcano eruptions, tsunamis and landslides. Some of the most studied natural disasters that had severe human and economic consequences in recent years include N Honshu earthquake (March 2011) and accompanying tsunami in Japan, Chile earthquake and tsunami (February 2010), southern Haiti earthquake (January 2010), Sichuan- China earthquake (May 2008), undersea earthquake off Sumatra- Indonesia and tsunami (2004), central Taiwan earthquake (September 1999). Earthquakes usually strike without warning, and cause massive landslides, bring down even earthquake-resistant structures, and cause major fires. People get trapped under collapsed buildings, fires are caused due to broken gas mains, anti-social activities especially looting of property can occur. Also, buildings that have remained intact or partially damaged need to be stabilized so that they do not collapse in the aftershocks that follow. To initiate rescue operations, Civil defense organizations need to get their disaster control centers immediately into the act. Most of the hazards to people come from man-made structures. Liquefaction occurring underneath a building can make the building lean, or collapse, or sink several feet (UPSeis – MichiganTech, 2007) (Fig. 1). Hence, liquefaction is a risk especially in areas where the groundwater table is high and the soil is sandy. Also, the strong surface waves generated by an earthquake can make the ground heave and lurch, and thereby cause damage to buildings. Another major earthquake hazard is fire due to broken gas lines and snapped power lines. The Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 made the city burn for three days (Fig. 2), and destroyed most of the city. Flooding due to cracking of dams and levees is yet another major earthquake hazard. The recent earthquake in Japan, the Chile earthquake of 2010 and the earthquake off Sumatra- Indonesia in 2004 were some of the earthquakes in recent times that caused immense havoc through generation of tsunamis (Fig. 3A and B). In the Japan earthquake, the huge tsunami waves reaching up to 33 feet in some places reached nearly 6 miles (10 kilometers) inland in Miyagi Prefecture (National Geographic Daily News). Government’s response to hazards from large volcanic eruptions and earthquakes It is not possible to ascertain if a volcano has become extinct. A volcano that lay dormant for 5000 years erupted in 1973 on Heimaey island near Iceland (USGS, 1983). Furthermore, the eruption of volcanoes can neither be prevented nor controlled. But knowledge of the type of eruption, that is, whether explosive or effusive will give an idea of the potential hazards, and that will help in determining the measures to be taken during a volcanic eruption. The problems due to volcanic eruptions will be compounded in the likely event of an earthquake occurring in conjunction with the eruption. Furthermore, volcanic activity can provoke atmospheric repercussions because of the billowing clouds of smoke and ash plumes (Fig. 4). Governments should keep the disaster management plan in readiness with help from the civic bodies as well as fire departments in the area to deal with the evacuation of people living in the path of lava flow, to combat fires caused by molten rock and hot cinders, to take appropriate steps to deal with atmospheric pollution from sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and acid vapors. It is not possible to carry out ground-based monitoring on all volcanoes around the world. But space-based monitoring through satellite radars can help identify the volcanoes presenting the greatest danger. The radars are able to track minute changes in the Earths movement which facilitates prediction of ensuing volcanic eruptions (European Space Agency, 2007). In the case of earthquakes, according to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Department of Homeland Security, there are 45 states and territories throughout the United States that are at moderate to high risk for earthquakes including the New Madrid fault line in Central U.S. As it is impossible to predict when an earthquake will occur, it is important that people are prepared for any eventuality. The government needs to provide all the necessary information to the people and educate them regarding the precautionary measures to be undertaken around the house, e.g., structural safeguards, and about making a plan to ensure the safety of everyone in the family including pets. When people are made aware of the potential hazards, they can be better prepared which helps reduce risks. It is also the responsibility of the government to identify schools, churches and such other places where the affected people could take temporary shelter. If airports are damaged following an earthquake, they need to be made operational as soon as possible so that relief and succor can be made available. Helicopters need to be deployed to provide food, water, medicines and other essential supplies as well as to rescue the injured. When the massive earthquake of January 12, 2010 struck Haiti causing terrible damage to the capital city of Port-au-Prince, the US government mobilized resources and personnel to help in the relief operations. Within five days of the earthquake, the only airport in Port-au-Prince, the Toussaint LOuverture airport, had been reopened for round-the-clock operations through the efforts of a specialist team from the US Air Force (Factsheet, US Department of State). Health is another important matter that needs immediate attention because of the nature and extent of injuries suffered by the earthquake victims and the grim possibility of outbreak of communicable diseases. Medical personnel, medicines and medical equipment need to be rushed. According the World Health Organization (WHO, Earthquakes Technical Hazard Sheet), main causes of mortality are trauma, asphyxia, dust inhalation leading to acute respiratory distress, or hypothermia caused by exposure to the elements. In the first weeks, surgery and other intensive treatment would be important requirements to treat multiple fractures or internal injuries and crush syndrome (WHO Earthquakes Technical Hazard Sheet). In the aftermath of Haiti earthquake, several nations including the U.S., Cuba and Canada rushed medical aid. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams, who were already working on medical projects in Haiti for sometime before the earthquake struck, treated hundreds of injured people (Fig. 5), also setting up clinics in tents following damage to their own established medical facilities (MSF Field News, 2010). Majority of the people were treated for trauma injuries and fractures, while some were treated for burns caused by explosion of domestic gas containers in collapsing buildings. Several medical centers and hospitals were also damaged in the quake and, hence, could not function, making it difficult for people with open fractures and head injuries to receive proper and timely surgery (MSF Field News, 2010). Finally and also importantly, the property of those affected needs to be guarded against looting and theft until their return and rehabilitation. As reported from Port-au-Prince, desperate and hungry people took to frenzied looting and violence in the earthquake-ravaged city (Fig. 6). Several hundreds of people were seen breaking into a supply store and carrying away sackfuls of items. The rising incidents of looting by desperate survivors prompted the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to request deployment of an additional 1,500 police officers and 2,000 peacekeeping troops (ABC News). While the earthquake in Haiti is a poignant yet harsh reminder to governments to invest in disaster preparedness, a comparison of the Haiti earthquake with the one that occurred in Chile just a month later in February 2010 brings out the stark contrast in the preparedness of the two countries to deal with natural disasters. Chile experiences frequent seismic activity like the rest of the Andean ridge. Also, Chile is Latin America’s most earthquake-ready country where even children are regularly made to go through the motions of quake drills (Barrionuevo and Lacey, 2010). On the other hand, people of Haiti who were experiencing an earthquake for the first time in their lifetime, had no knowledge of how to react, for example, by taking shelter under tables and door frames, and away from glass windows. The preparedness in Haiti was woefully low. The government of Chile has formulated and followed a strict Seismic Code since 1972 that requires all high-risk buildings to be made from seismically sound materials such as concrete and steel. Haiti has no building code in place which resulted in even major hospital buildings being damaged during the quake, and disrupting medical services when the people needed them the most. Earthquakes are a major geological threat to Indonesia. Unlike in Haiti, the Indonesian Urban Disaster Mitigation Project launched in 1997 is focused on reducing earthquake vulnerability of the urban population, through construction of earthquake-resistant infrastructure, and critical facilities such as hospitals and schools. Earthquake safety drills have been implemented in classrooms to improve school preparedness (Asian Disaster Preparedness Center). China is another country prone to earthquakes. The first National Earthquake Disaster Emergency Relief and Rescue Team was established in 2001. Consisting of 230 members, the team is made up of a military engineering unit, seismologists and medical personnel, and is equipped with advanced tools for search and rescue, medical treatment, and sniffer dogs. Imparting earthquake knowledge to the public, and involving them in earthquake preparedness and disaster mitigation has led to improved awareness among the Chinese people (China Seismological Bureau, 2003). Yet, the 2008 earthquake that China experienced left more than 69,000 dead and 5 million homeless. The estimated total number of people affected was 46 million (USAID, 2008). In contrast to China and Haiti, when devastating earthquakes struck central Taiwan in September 1999, an estimated 2,161 deaths, and 8,736 injuries occurred. According to National Information Service for Earthquake Engineering (NISEE), although Taiwan is seismically complicated, due to the extensive seismic instrumentation of the region warnings were automatically sent to rescue officials soon after the first earthquake. In other words, Taiwan had a high level of preparedness. Nearly 20% of all the worlds most powerful earthquakes occur in Japan. As a result, the country is always in a high state of readiness for the next earthquake. The Kobe earthquake in 1995, which took a toll of 6400 lives made the government to formulate building regulations to counter earthquake hazards and also strengthened Japans ability to launch a search and rescue effort. The impact of the March 11 Japan earthquake would have been far worse but for earthquake preparation of this scale mounted in the country since the Kobe earthquake (The Guardian, UK). However, despite its superior earthquake preparedness, Japan still suffered on account of the huge tsunami that followed the earthquake, and caused the majority of deaths and injuries. In conclusion, mitigation measures against earthquakes that need be addressed by the governments include enactment of earthquake-proof building codes and by-laws, provision of earthquake-proof lifeline systems such as hospitals, airports, ports etc., strengthening public capabilities for search and rescue, life-saving first-aid and mass casualty management, and, most importantly, creating public awareness on earthquake risks with suitable education and drills. Illustrations Fig. 1. Buildings toppled due to liquefaction of soil during an earlier earthquake in Japan. (Source: http://www.geo.mtu.edu/UPSeis/hazards.html) Fig. 2. The conflagration that followed the Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. (Source: http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=24208) (A) (B) Fig. 3. Pictures of the powerful tsunami triggered by the massive magnitude 8.9 earthquake off the coast of Japan on 11 March, 2011. (A) a whirlpool created by tsunami waves off the coast of Oarai in Japans Ibaraki Prefecture; (B) houses burn amid flood waters after a massive magnitude 8.9 earthquake off the coast of Japan triggered a powerful tsunami. (Source: National Geographic Daily News) Fig. 4. Eruption from Augustine Volcano, Alaska, in 1986 (Source: U.S. Geological Survey) Fig. 5. People injured in the magnitude 7 Haiti earthquake (Jan 2010) gathered outside a damaged Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) office in Port-au-Prince to receive medical aid. (Source: MSF Field News, 13 Jan 2010) Fig. 6. Looters fight for goods taken from a destroyed store in Port-au-Prince (Source: Reuters) References ABC News. Haiti: UN Chief calls for more troops as looting rises in Port-au-Prince. 18 Jan 2010. Web 11 April 2011. Asian Disaster Preparedness Center. Safer cities. Web 11 April 2011. http://www.adpc.net/AUDMP/library/safer_cities/10.pdf Barrionuevo Alexei & Marc Lacey, 2010. Chile officials call for aid as devastation sinks in. The New York Times, 1 March 2010. Web 11 April 2011. China Seismological Bureau, 2003. Earthquake preparedness and disaster mitigation in China. 4 Sep 2003. Web 11 Apr 2011. European Space Agency, 2007. Earth Observation Essential For Geohazard Mitigation. ScienceDaily. 7 Dec 2007, Web 9 April 2011. National Geographic Daily News. Tsunami pictures: Epic waves, earthquake shock Japan. 11March 2011. Web 9 April 2011. NISEE. The Taiwan Earthquakes (Ji-Ji) of September, 1999. National Information Service for Earthquake Engineering, University of California, Berkeley. Web 7 April 2011. The Guardian UK. Japans earthquake preparation has spared it from a far worse fate. 11 Mar 2011. Web 11 April 2011. UPSeis 2007. What are earthquake hazards? Geological and Mining Engineering & Sciences, MichiganTech. n.d. Web 7 April 2011. USAID, 2008. China – Earthquake. Fact Sheet #6. 13 June 2008. Web 11 April 2011. US Department of State. Fact Sheets and Other Releases on the Haiti Earthquake. Web 8 April 2011. USGS U.S.Geological Survey, 1983. Man against volcano: the eruption on Heimaey, Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland. Web 9 April 2011 from http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/heimaey/heimaey.pdf WHO Earthquakes -Technical Hazard Sheet. Natural Disaster Profile. Health action in crises. n.d. Web 11 April 2011. Read More