Seismology: Our Violent Earth

Seismology: Our Violent Earth — page 7 — 8 Death and Damage The center of the Haitian earthquake was 16 miles 26 km from the city 2 The shaking lasted for less than a minute Since the depth of the earthquake was shallow only a few miles below ground level the energy was released close to the surface This meant the shaking was severe Earthquakes are often followed by smaller tremors called aftershocks Within a few hours after the initial earthquake powerful aftershocks caused more damage An estimated 316,000 people died many of them from collapsing houses and buildings Another 300,000 were injured Approximately 1 3 million people were left homeless Tent cities of refugees sprang up around Port-au-Prince Estimates suggested nearly 100,000 houses were destroyed and another 190,000 were seriously damaged 3 Another Quake Hits Just over a month later on February 27 2010 an earthquake violently shook parts of South America at 3 34 a m Most people in Concepción Chile had been sleeping As the HAITI EYEWITNESS Regine Jean-François a student in her early twenties was in her mother’s office when the Haiti earthquake struck Her mother was finishing the last of her daily tasks Regine recalled Just then I heard a growling noise and everything started shaking 4 As books tumbled off shelves and pictures fell off the walls Regine’s mom yelled that it was an earthquake They tried to run outside This was almost impossible because the whole structure was shaking up and down but they managed to escape The Haitian earthquake reduced homes and other buildings to piles of rubble

Seismology: Our Violent Earth — page 8

Seismology: Our Violent Earth — page 9 — 10 earth began shaking citizens of the city ran into the streets in terror The quake was 500 times more powerful than the one that hit Haiti in January The epicenter of the Chilean quake was two miles 3 km off the coast disturbing ocean waters A tsunami hit the coastal city of Constitución with waves up to 50 feet 15 m high 5 As a result of the earthquake and tsunami a total of 523 people died and approximately 12,000 were injured Approximately 800,000 people became displaced or homeless as more than 370,000 houses were damaged or destroyed 6 Hundreds of aftershocks followed Why Did More Die in Haiti Even though the Chilean quake was much more powerful it caused less damage and death than the one that hit Haiti There are several reasons for this First Chile has a long history of earthquakes The largest earthquake ever measured hit Chile in 1960 The people of Chile are trained in earthquake response Even schoolchildren have earthquake drills People rushed out of their homes and Haiti Four Years Later Four years after the earthquake in early 2014 nearly 150,000 people in Haiti were still living in temporary structures 7 Many have not been able to rebuild their homes so they live in tents or in plywood and plastic shacks The presidential palace severely damaged in the quake has been torn down Some government buildings are in the process of reconstruction International organizations are still working to provide aid and help with rebuilding but it has been a long process

Seismology: Our Violent Earth — page 10 — 11 buildings when they felt the first tremors Haiti was not as well prepared for an earthquake Second the area of Chile that was impacted is not as densely populated as Port-au-Prince Third the epicenter of the quake in Chile was farther away than in Haiti Finally and perhaps most important the building codes are much stricter in Chile because of the frequent earthquakes Haiti had no such building codes Many people lived in ramshackle homes built from weak concrete and masonry Large-Scale Destruction These two earthquakes provide clear examples of the devastation these natural disasters can cause Earthquakes are among Earth’s deadliest disasters especially when coupled with the tsunamis they sometimes cause Most other disasters can be predicted Weather forecasters can predict when a hurricane will hit With today’s technology they can even get a close approximation of its strength People can prepare their homes and businesses for the wind and rain and then evacuate to safety The conditions that THE ANGRY EARTH Paulina Fernandez lived in Santiago Chile at the time of the 2010 earthquake She says We were sleeping and suddenly a strong noise woke us up like cars being crushed and bombs I thought the earth was mad with us Nature showed us her fury 8 She and her son tried to get downstairs but at first that was impossible because of the heaving of the building Once they were out they saw people on the street with no water no electricity and no food People were searching for family members who had gotten separated

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