Disaster

Risk
Reduction
and
Management
Zyra Mae Villena Ragil

12- Makakalikasan
What is Earthquake?
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the
surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere
that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in size from those that are so weak
that they cannot be felt to those violent enough to toss people around and destroy
whole cities.

At the Earth's surface, earthquakes manifest themselves by shaking and

displacing or disrupting the ground. When the epicenter of a large earthquake is located
offshore, the seabed may be displaced sufficiently to cause a tsunami. Earthquakes can
also trigger landslides and occasionally, volcanic activity.

In its most general sense, the word earthquake is used to describe any seismic
event whether natural or caused by humans that generates seismic waves. Earthquakes
are caused mostly by rupture of geological faults but also by other events such as
volcanic activity, landslides, mine blasts, and nuclear tests. An earthquake's point of
initial rupture is called its focus or hypocenter. The epicenter is the point at ground level
directly above the hypocenter.
Vulnerability
Vulnerability is the inability to resist a hazard or to respond when a disaster has
occurred. For instance, people who live on plains are more vulnerable to floods than
people who live higher up.

In actual fact, vulnerability depends on several factors, such as people's age and state
of health, local environmental and sanitary conditions, as well as on the quality and
state of local buildings and their location with respect to any hazards.

Vulnerability is defined by the ISDR as “conditions determined by physical, social,

economic, and environmental factors or processes, which increase the susceptibility of a
community to the impact of hazards”. Wooden homes which are less likely to collapse in
an earthquake, but are more vulnerable to fire.

Vulnerability describes the characteristics and circumstances of a community, system or

asset that make it susceptible to the damaging effects of a hazard. There are many
aspects of vulnerability, arising from various physical, social, economic, and
environmental factors.
Describe the concept of disaster from the different perspectives:

Physical - A physical hazard is an agent, factor or circumstance that can cause harm
without contact. They can be classified as type of occupational hazard or environmental
hazard. Physical hazards include ergonomic hazards, radiation, heat and cold stress,
vibration hazards, and noise hazards. Hazard arising from the material, operational, or
occupational characteristics of an insured property.

Psychological - Psychological hazards are aspects of the work environment and the
way that work is organized that are associated with mental disorders and/or physical
injury or illness. When psychosocial hazards are not effectively managed, they can
negatively impact on organizational measures including productivity, absenteeism and
turnover.

Socio - Cultural - Situation derived from a number of parameters (natural,

environmental, socio-economic, cultural, technological), which transform and influence
the response of human societies to hazards, or degree of loss resulting from a
potentially damaging phenomenon.is something that involves the social and cultural
aspects. An example of sociocultural is a focus of study in anthropology.

Economic - In economics, moral hazard occurs when someone increases their

exposure to risk when insured, especially when a person takes more risks because
someone else bears the cost of those risks.

Political - is the risk an investment's returns could suffer as a result of political

changes or instability in a country. Instability affecting investment returns could stem
from a change in government, legislative bodies, other foreign policymakers or military
control.

Biological - are organic substances that pose a threat to the health of humans and
other living organisms. Biological hazards include pathogenic micro-organisms, viruses,
toxins (from biological sources), spores, fungi and bio-active substances.
Discuss the following as potential earthquake hazard :

a. Ground Shaking

Ground shaking is both a hazard created by earthquakes and the trigger for other
hazards such as liquefaction and landslides. Ground shaking describes the vibration of
the ground during an earthquake. Most earthquake damage results from the shaking
caused by seismic waves passing beneath buildings, roads, and other structures.
Ground shaking is the primary cause of earthquake damage to man-made structures.
When the ground shakes strongly, buildings can be damaged or destroyed and their
occupants may be injured or killed.

b. Ground Rupture

Ground rupture is another important effect of earthquakes. Surface rupture (or

ground rupture, or ground displacement) is the visible offset of the ground surface when
an earthquake rupture along a fault affects the Earth's surface. Surface rupture is
opposed by buried rupture, where there is no displacement at ground level. This is a
major risk to any structure that is built across a fault zone that may be active, in addition
to any risk from ground shaking.[1] Surface rupture entails vertical or horizontal
movement, on either side of a ruptured fault. Surface rupture can affect large areas of
land.

c. Liquefaction

Liquefaction is a phenomenon in which the strength and stiffness of a soil is

reduced by earthquake shaking or other rapid loading. Liquefaction and related
phenomena have been responsible for tremendous amounts of damage in historical
earthquakes around the world.

Liquefaction occurs in saturated soils, that is, soils in which the space between
individual particles is completely filled with water. This water exerts a pressure on the
soil particles that influences how tightly the particles themselves are pressed together.
Prior to an earthquake, the water pressure is relatively low. However, earthquake
shaking can cause the water pressure to increase to the point where the soil particles
can readily move with respect to each other.
d. Earthquake ( induced ground subsidence )

Subsidence is the sudden sinking or gradual downward settling of the ground's

surface with little or no horizontal motion. The definition of subsidence is not restricted
by the rate, magnitude, or area involved in the downward movement. It may be caused
by natural processes or by human activities. The former include various karst
phenomena, thawing of permafrost, consolidation, oxidation of organic soils, slow
crustal warping, normal faulting, caldera subsidence, or withdrawal of fluid lava from
beneath a solid crust. Land subsidence can occur in various ways during an
earthquake. Large areas of land can subside drastically during an earthquake because
of offset along fault lines. Land subsidence can also occur as a result of settling and
compacting of unconsolidated sediment from the shaking of an earthquake.

e. Tsunami

A tsunami or tidal wave is a series of waves in a water body caused by the

displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake.Tsunamis
are giant waves caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions under the sea. Out in the
depths of the ocean, tsunami waves do not dramatically increase in height. But as the
waves travel inland, they build up to higher and higher heights as the depth of the ocean
decreases. The speed of tsunami waves depends on ocean depth rather than the
distance from the source of the wave. Tsunami waves may travel as fast as jet planes
over deep waters, only slowing down when reaching shallow waters. While tsunamis
are often referred to as tidal waves, this name is discouraged by oceanographers
because tides have little to do with these giant waves.

d. Earthquake (induced landslide )

An earthquake can cause a slope to become unstable by the inertial loading it

imposes or by causing a loss of strength in the slope materials. Strong earthquake has
been a significant triggering factor of landslides in hilly and mountainous areas.
Damages caused by earthquake-induced landslides are sometimes larger than
damages related to the shaking of the earthquake itself.
 Precautionary and Safety Measures

What Should I Do Before, During, And After An Earthquake?

What to Do Before an Earthquake

 Make sure you have a fire extinguisher, first aid kit, a battery-powered radio, a
flashlight, and extra batteries at home.
 Learn first aid.
 Learn how to turn off the gas, water, and electricity.
 Make up a plan of where to meet your family after an earthquake.
 Don't leave heavy objects on shelves (they'll fall during a quake).
 Anchor heavy furniture, cupboards, and appliances to the walls or floor.
 Learn the earthquake plan at your school or workplace.

What to Do During an Earthquake

 Stay calm! If you're indoors, stay inside. If you're outside, stay outside.
 If you're indoors, stand against a wall near the center of the building, stand in a
doorway, or crawl under heavy furniture (a desk or table). Stay away from
windows and outside doors.
 If you're outdoors, stay in the open away from power lines or anything that might
fall. Stay away from buildings (stuff might fall off the building or the building could
fall on you).
 Don't use matches, candles, or any flame. Broken gas lines and fire don't mix.
 If you're in a car, stop the car and stay inside the car until the earthquake stops.
 Don't use elevators (they'll probably get stuck anyway).
What to Do After an Earthquake

 Check yourself and others for injuries. Provide first aid for anyone who needs it.
 Check water, gas, and electric lines for damage. If any are damaged, shut off the
valves. Check for the smell of gas. If you smell it, open all the windows and
doors, leave immediately, and report it to the authorities (use someone else's
phone).
 Turn on the radio. Don't use the phone unless it's an emergency.
 Stay out of damaged buildings.
 Be careful around broken glass and debris. Wear boots or sturdy shoes to keep
from cutting your feet.
 Be careful of chimneys (they may fall on you).
 Stay away from beaches. Tsunamis and seiches sometimes hit after the ground
has stopped shaking.
 Stay away from damaged areas.
 If you're at school or work, follow the emergency plan or the instructions of the
person in charge.
 Expect aftershocks.