Long & Short-Term Responses to Earthquakes
Long-term responses to earthquakes are measures taken to reduce the impacts of future earthquakes
Short-term responses usually happen immediately before, during or after an earthquake
Examples of Long and Short-term Responses
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Long-term responses |
Short-term responses |
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Building codes – creating a set of building codes to increase the resilience of buildings to earthquakes Education and training – preparing communities to improve evacuation and response through regular drills e.g. Japan’s Disaster Prevention Day held each year on September 1st Early warning systems - early warning systems can be implemented to give people time to take precautions e.g. slowing trains, switching off the gas supply Hazard mapping and land use zoning – identifying areas at most risk of liquefaction or tsunamis and limiting the activities that can take place there |
Search and rescue – using sniffer dogs and heat sensors to locate survivors and rescue them Emergency aid - providing food, water, medical aid to affected communities Evacuation – moving people out of the danger zone when a tsunami warning has been issued - this isn’t possible before an earthquake as there is not enough warning Issue a warning – a warning can be sent via text, TV and radio as soon as an earthquake happens underground, but before the seismic waves reach the surface – this gives enough time to take extra precautions e.g. take cover under a table
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Earthquake resistant building design
- Responses can also be categorised as prevention, preparedness, mitigation and adaptation
Responses to earthquakes
| Prevention | Preparedness | Mitigation | Adaptation | |
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What is it? |
It is impossible to prevent earthquakes. |
Ensures that people are ready to respond | Aims to reduce the threat by altering the environment | Changes in behaviour to reduce the risk |
| Example | Land use zoning can help to prevent building in vulnerable areas - In Christchurch after the 2010 earthquake 6000 hectares were declared a red zone and left as parkland | Monitoring and warning systems to send out warnings and education programmes. Japan has an Earthquake Early Warning System (EEW) |
Tsunami walls - Since the 2011 earthquake and tsunami Japan has built over 400km of tsunami wall Earthquake resistant buildings using cross-bracing, shutters on windows etc... to reduce the chances of collapse |
Emergency kits which are kept to hand with contents to help with evacuation and survival Evacuation routes and trained emergency services |
Case Study - Gorka earthquake, Nepal
Short-term responses included:
- Search and rescue teams from around the world including USA, China and India rescued 8000 people
- Donations of money and aid from around the world totalled $3 billion including $3.3 million from China and $51 million from the UK
- Many countries sent aid in the form of:
- Temporary shelters
- Medicines
- Food
- Water
- Clothing
- Medical staff
- 90% of the Nepalese army were mobilised (around 100,000) troops to help with search and rescue operations and the distribution of emergency aid
- Tent cities were set up by organisations such as Oxfam and Save the Children providing shelter for those made homeless
- GIS crisis mapping tool was used to co-ordinate the response
- $3 million grant was provided by the Asian Development Bank for emergency relief
Long-term responses included:
- The United Nations worked with the Nepalese government to improve resilience and plan for future earthquake events
- Landslides were cleared and roads repaired to restore access to remote rural communities
- 7000 schools were rebuilt
- Earthquake drills were introduced to provide people with education about what to do in the event of an earthquake
- Stricter building codes with more enforcement
- $200 million was provided by the Asian Development Bank for rebuilding
