Running head: Geography Assignment.

Geography Assignment.
Name.
Institution of Affiliation.
Geography Assignment. 2

Natural disasters are unavoidable threats of phenomena’s that occur naturally, which normally

have detrimental effects on both humans and the entire environment. They include disasters such

as avalanches, flooding, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, storms, and hurricanes, etc.

Earthquake.

Earthquake is an unexpected natural occurrence that involves vigorous rolling and shaking of the

earth's surface along fault lines at the crust as a result of the release of high energy stored inside

the seismic rocks. It can be mild or catastrophic.

Pakistan earthquake.

A shallow earthquake struck north-eastern Pakistan, Kashmir region in September 2019. 19

persons were killed and 350 injured. Besides making very large cracks on roads and causing

damage to most infrastructure in the area. This event sent people living in Islamabad town

running for safety as walls collapsed and buildings fell. The quake epicenter was said to be at

Mirpur suburb with a magnitude of 5.2, 23 kilometers from the Jhelum city where every house

was damaged. Roads and electricity poles were also damaged beyond repair. The destruction

extended to cover over 40, 000 square kilometers area. The majority of learning centers were

damaged and injuring many students. Most of the health care places and hospitals were also

destroyed, besides communication lines were disrupted. The affected area was covered with 250

million tons of debris. Post-quake tremors aggravated the earthquake causing more damage

through landslides.

Pakistan is located within the boundary where the Eurasian-Indian tectonic plates meet. This

makes the country prone to earthquakes. When these two plates (Eurasian plate and Indian plate)

slide past each other causing the release of energy stored beneath them, therefore causing an

earthquake to occur in this region. The two plates form a conservative boundary that can cause a
Geography Assignment. 3

very destructive earthquake even when slightly triggered by earth movement’s activities

("Pakistan earthquake leaves 19 dead and 300 injured in Kashmir region," 2019)

Mitigation.

Reconstruction after the occurrence of this earthquake should be aimed at how could this disaster

mitigated, reduce or prevent its consequences. It involves measures that reduce the threats and

hazards of the earthquake. This could include measures such as there should be a disaster agency

that manages and gives a plan for a response after such a disastrous event has occurred.

Unplanned and advisedly done arrangements won’t work in this kind of circumstance. All

relevant parties and includes private organizations, donors, NGOs and the government itself must

play part in helping out. Due to the inaccessibility of this area hit by the earthquake, helipads and

landing sites should be created to enhance rescue operations (, n.d.)

Philippines earthquake.

A mild quake struck the southern Philippines region on the Sunday of 12 December 2019. This

came after a tremor had been reported in the region in October. The earthquake managed to kill 5

persons, injured 84 and caused very large infrastructure damage. The quake epicenter was on a

region located 62 Kilometers southwest of Davao city on the southern island of Mindanao with a

magnitude of 6.8 and depth of 28.2 kilometers.

The Philippines is geographically mapped in a region known as a “Ring of Fire” a geologically

active region that is often struck by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. This region experiences

a big number of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes due to the abundance of movement of

tectonic plates in this region. Within this “Ring of Fire” region, tectonic plates slide past each

other at convergent boundaries or fault lines known as subduction zones. When rocks undergo

subduction they melt to become magma. A lot of magma near the earth's surface triggers
Geography Assignment. 4

volcanic eruptions. These volcanic activities create tension within the earth’s crustal rocks that

build-up leading to the generation of an earthquake in this place (Deutsche Welle

(www.dw.com), n.d.)

Mitigation.

To reduce financial and human consequences caused by this earthquakes mitigation has to be

done before, during and after the events. These actions should be aimed at increasing knowledge,

determining the risk and safeguarding this region. Some of the actions that can be undertaken

include: determining the risks and possible hazards that are associated with disaster in the

locations, Instructing family to be cautious of earthquakes in the place, creating disaster kits,

protecting oneself during the earthquake and after the quake remember to check for any injuries

and damages caused (, n.d.)

Floods.

Flooding is defined as the overflow or inflow of water into dry land, which may be due to

overflow of water bodies such as rivers, lakes or ocean or maybe due to excess accumulation of

rainwater on the ground

India floods and Landslides.

The June 2019 India flooding started after the formation of the Tropical Cyclone VAYU over the

Indian Ocean which moved to its center at Maharashtra state, western India. Due to flooding

caused by rivers of Barak, Jia Bhoreli and the Brahmaputra breaking their banks, over 800

persons were relocated to relief camps. This flooding affected 6000 persons in villages of Jorhat

and Chirang regions. Heavy rainfall in Ratnagiri District caused the bursting of the Tiware dam,

this triggered flooding that resulted in 19 deaths ("India: Floods and Landslides - Jun 2019,"

2020)
Geography Assignment. 5

Mitigation.

To reduce havoc and consequences caused by this flooding some of the mitigation measures that

can be undertaken include: Using flood diversion methods such as developing leaves,

constructing embankments, dams and channel improvements. The current government should

map the areas prone to flooding, this will indicate how water flows during flooding in this area

hence reducing endangering life and property destruction. Carrying out flood proofing measures

such as using sandbags in keeping away flood water, ensuring doors and windows of houses are

blocked or sealed. Restoring the drainage system to its original form after activities such as the

construction of roads, pavements, and passing tracks, etc. ("Flood Prone Zones in India:

Mitigation and Control Measures Warning," 2018)

Conclusion.

In conclusion, it looks like the occurrence of floods and earthquakes cannot be predicted. For a

long time, there have been efforts to do earthquake prediction which has always ended without

success. Flooding is a common natural disaster and has been on increase recently due to climate

change. It has proven to be difficult to prevent it from occurring. Usually, both floods and

earthquakes have adverse effects on both humans and the environment.

Geography Assignment. 6

References

Retrieved from https://odihpn.org/magazine/the-response-to-the-earthquake-in-pakistan/

Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com). (n.d.). Death toll rises in southern Philippines earthquake.

Retrieved from https://www.dw.com/en/death-toll-rises-in-southern-philippines-

earthquake/a-50545320

Flood Prone Zones in India: Mitigation and Control Measures Warning. (2018, August 31).

Retrieved from https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/flood-prone-zones-

in-india-mitigation-and-control-measures-warning-1535704370-1

India: Floods and Landslides - Jun 2019. (2020, January 12). Retrieved from

https://reliefweb.int/disaster/fl-2019-000084-ind

Pakistan earthquake leaves 19 dead and 300 injured in Kashmir region. (2019, September

25). Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/25/pakistan-

earthquake-leaves-19-dead-injured-kashmiri-region

Appendix.

A Pakistan man stands

besides a collapsed
building after an
earthquake occurred.