Investigation of the TEC Changes in the vicinity of the Earthquake Preparation Zone We must take every reasonable action to prepare for damaging earthquakes in order to lower these risks. Despite these precautions, future earthquakes may still cause damage to buildings, displace items within buildings, and disrupt the basic utilities that we take for granted. Many new buildings are designed to withstand intense shaking, some older buildings have been reinforced, and development has been discouraged in some particularly hazardous areas. It is only a matter of time before another major earthquake will impact a large number of Alaskans.Alaska has changed significantly since the damaging 1964 earthquake, and the population has more than doubled. “Great†earthquakes (larger than magnitude 8) have rocked the state on an average of once every 13 years since 1900. The largest strike-slip slip earthquake in North America in almost 150 years occurred on the Denali Fault in central Alaska on November 3rd, 2002. The second-largest earthquake ever recorded shook the heart of southern Alaska on March 27th, 1964. Scientists have long recognized that Alaska has more earthquakes than any other region of the United States and is, in fact, one of the most seismically active areas of the world. Discussion and suggestions (particularly about effective means of conducting rigorous long-term assessment) are strongly encouraged.Īre you prepared for the next big earthquake in Alaska? I will present elements of these talks, the background information used, and examples of how they have affected change in the earthquake preparedness of audience members. Assessment of the impact of these talks is primarily anecdotal and includes an increase in the number of venues requesting these talks, repeat invitations, and comments from audience members (sometimes months or years after a talk). While based on the same fundamental information, each presentation is modified for audience and setting. The public presentations occur in an array of venues, including elementary school and college classes, a community forum linked with the annual ShakeOut Drill, and local businesses including the local microbrewery. To address the gap between earthquake drills and preparation in my community, for the past several years I have been giving public talks to promote understanding of: the science behind the earthquake predictions why individual, as well as community, preparation is important and, ways in which individuals can prepare their home and work environments. While not detailing an actual event, the ShakeOut Scenario illustrates how individual and community preparation may improve the potential after-affects of a major earthquake in the region. The ShakeOut Scenario (Jones et al., USGS Open File Report 2008-1150) describes the physical, social, and economic consequences of a plausible M7.8 earthquake on the southernmost San Andreas Fault. While many of my acquaintance are familiar with what to do during an earthquake, few have made preparations for living with the aftermath of a large earthquake. Residents of southern California are aware they live in a seismically active area and earthquake drills have trained us to Duck-Cover-Hold On. Filling a gap: Public talks about earthquake preparation and the 'Big One'
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |