Protection Against Earthquake: Causes, Effects, Prevention

Protection against earthquakes is essential to its core as they tend to strike suddenly, violently and without warning! Every year it causes tremendous loss of life and property in India, and other parts of the world. About 59% of Indian landmass is prone to earthquakes! Identifying potential hazards ahead of time and preparing disaster controls in advance greatly minimizes its impact. 

Recommended Reading: P Wave

Key Terms: Natural disasters, Seismic waves, Tectonic plates, Landslides, Tsunami

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What is Earthquake?

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An earthquake is classified as a perceptible tremor in earth’s surface, typically caused by seismic waves resulting from the sudden release of energy in the earth’s crust. Sometimes, the transfer of this energy to structures causes detectible shaking and noise. At other times, they can be brutal enough to throw people and entire cities away. 

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Cause of Earthquake

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Numerous “tectonic plates” constituting the structure of the earth’s crust are responsible for most earthquakes. The convection in the earth’s semi-viscous upper mantle causes these plates to be constantly in motion. As time passes, these plates separate and crash into each other, creating visible boundaries called faults. 

As these plates collide, they remain locked until ample pressure builds such that one of them is forced under the other (a process coined as subduction). This process continues over a span of millions of years, and occasionally results in a significant release of energy, frictional heating and crackling along the fault lines (aka an earthquake).

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Effects of Earthquake

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Destructive effects of earthquakes include landslides, tsunamis, fires, liquefaction and fault rupture. The aggressive shaking of the ground and sea leads to catastrophic destruction of manmade properties and personal injuries. Discussed below are some of the most common impacts of an earthquake: 

Tsunamis 

One of the most catastrophic effects of an earthquake is a tsunami. Tsunamis are giant water waves caused by large sudden vertical movement of the sea floor. On 15th June 1896 the Sanriku coast was struck by a devastating tsunami with a maximum wave altitude of 38.2m, causing 22,000 deaths! 

Tsunami Risk Areas Worldwide

Landslides 

Earthquake induced rock avalanches, soil avalanches, and underwater landslides can be very destructive. The destruction corresponds to the magnitude of the earthquake, its focal depth, and other topographic and geologic conditions.

Fires

Fires, often associated with broken electrical and gas lines, are one of the most customary effects of earthquakes. Gas is set free as gas lines break and the spark initiates a firestorm. The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 caused bewildering 90% damage by fire. 

Earthquakes and Volcanic Eruptions

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Protection of Earthquake

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Earthquakes strike without warning. We never know when the next catastrophic earthquake will strike, but we can take action now to prepare to survive it and prune its impact. Preparedness starts with a plan. 

For cities and agencies, protection against earthquakes means working with engineers to design buildings and bridges to withstand an earthquake as best as possible. For individuals and families, protection means developing an earthquake emergency plan and kit and chalking out what to do before, during and after an earthquake. 

Protection Against Earthquake Essentials

Precautions Before Earthquake

We can’t predict earthquakes but we know how highly destructive it can be. It is, therefore, crucial that we take necessary precautions to protect ourselves at all times. Take the following steps before the onset of an earthquake to reduce impact:

• Turn off gas lines, electricity and other appliances.
• Stay connected, spread awareness among friends and family about the impending danger.
• Fasten shelves securely to the walls and armor large and heavy objects on lower shelves or floors. 
• An earthquake plan must be kept in place, including locating a shelter house, canned food and first aid kit, gallons of water, dust masks, fire extinguisher, a torch and a working battery operated radio.

Protection During Earthquake

Stay as safe as possible during an earthquake. To protect against earthquakes, minimize your movements to a few steps to the closest safe place indoors or outdoors. Follow the step guide below to lessen the ill effects: 

• Call the fire department or radio station to tune in for emergency information. 
• If you are indoors, you should drop, cover and hold — drop to the ground, find cover under sturdy furniture such as a heavy desk or a table, and hold on until the trembling stops.
• If you can’t locate sturdy furniture nearby, move to a corner or inside part of the building, away from the glass, and stay on the floor with your arms covering your head.
• Stay indoors until the shaking has stopped and you feel certain that exiting is safe. Once outside, move away from the building to an open space like a park. 

Steps to Take After Earthquake

Once the tremors have subsided, it is most important to get to a safe location. Check for injuries and hazards, and aid others. Addition to that, the following measures must be undertaken after the calamity is over: 

• Tend to people with minor injuries such as bleeding and bruises with your disaster supply kit. The severely injured individuals must not be moved until they’re out of danger and proper medical aid has arrived. 
• Rescue breathing must be administered to the person facing breathlessness. If the victim has no pulse, CPR must be given. 
• Damaged walls and buildings made of bricks must be avoided and other falling items to be taken care of. 
• Broken appliances must be unplugged until the damage is restored. Gas valves must be checked for any leaks. 

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Things to Remember [Click Here for Sample Questions]

• In seismic areas, houses must be built in a way that they are protected from earthquakes. 
• Earthquakes might also lead to fire eruptions and worsen the situation. Thus, buildings must take precautionary fire fighting measures.
• Mud/Timber is lighter and is preferred as compared to heavy construction material. Roofs should also be as light as possible to reduce damage in case of fall.
• During an earthquake, people shouldn’t stand under heavy and tall objects, power lines, buildings, trees etc. 

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