When quake strikes
IT’s impossible to predict an earthquake with reliability in seismically threatened regions, but it’s not just the power of the tremors that causes devastation. The difference between a relatively harmless earthquake and a disaster is how well built the buildings are and how well prepared the response mechanism is. Building quality trumps all other factors. Quakes don’t kill, structural collapse does. Monday’s 7.8-magnitude temblor occurred in the early hours of the morning, when people were sleeping. This was followed by a 7.5-magnitude aftershock several hours later as well as numerous smaller aftershocks. Thousands were killed in Turkey and neighbouring Syria as buildings came crashing down. For municipalities, constructors and supervisors the world over, the tragedy is a reminder of the importance of stringent enforcement of seismic building codes. The role of the first responders and relief services also becomes crucial. After 48 hours, the number of survivors decreases enormously.
In hazardous zones where there has been no major earthquake for decades together or even some centuries, the level of preparedness would be far less than for areas which are more used to dealing with tremors. That explains the complacency on earthquake mitigation in India. Risk-reduction strategies are missing and public awareness on what to do in case disaster strikes is entirely lacking. Designing buildings to move with the earth while remaining standing can save thousands of lives, but putting it into practice can be expensive. The issue of unsafe buildings is a difficult problem to solve, but there are valuable global experiences of seismic retrofitting on a large scale. What is a major worry is new vulnerable structures coming up without optimum engineering input or thought to quake-resistant design.
It’s a marvel of Japanese engineering that skyscrapers stay standing during an earthquake. The quake-prone country has been aggressive about updating its building codes regularly. The resolve to save lives is remarkable. Elevators shut down, gas, power and water lines turn off, trains come to a halt automatically when a big quake strikes. Children are trained to deal with tremors from kindergarten. There is much to learn from Japan.
