Responses to Tectonic Hazards (AQA GCSE Geography)

• Tectonic hazards have both primary and secondary effects

The Primary and Secondary Effects of Tectonic Hazards

• The responses to any tectonic hazard can be divided into two groups
  • Immediate in the days and weeks after the event
  • Long term in the months and years after the event

The Immediate and Long-term Responses to Tectonic Hazards

• Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of under $1000 in 2015
• Located between China and India, Nepal is a landlocked country
• In 2015 80% of the population lived in rural, often remote, communities
• In April 2015 at 11.26 am Nepal was struck by an earthquake, magnitude 7.8
• The epicentre was 80 km northwest of Kathmandu in the Gorka district
• The focus was shallow at only 15 km beneath the surface
• Over 300 aftershocks followed the main earthquake

Location of the Nepal earthquake

Cause 

• Nepal is located on a collision boundary between the Indian and Eurasian plates

Effects

• Approximately 9000 deaths 
• Over 20,000 people injured
• Electricity and water supplies cut
• 7000 schools and 1000 health facilities were damaged or destroyed
• Almost 3.5 million people were made homeless
• Offices, shops and factories were destroyed meaning people were unable to make a living
• UNESCO world heritage sites destroyed as well as many temples
• Loss of tourist income which Nepal is reliant on
• Avalanches on Mount Everest and in the Langtang Valley
• Landslides which blocked roads and rivers
• Damages estimated at between $7 and $10 billion about 35% of the GDP

Immediate responses

• Donations of money and aid from around the world totally $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
  • Search and rescue teams
  • Medical staff
• 90% of the Nepalese army were mobilised 
• Tent cities were set up in Kathmandu 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 response

• Landslides were cleared and roads repaired to restore access to remote rural communities
• 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
• A new government task force was set up to plan for future earthquake events 

Background

• Italy is a High-Income Country (HIC) with a GDP per capita of over $31,000
• It is located in Europe 
• On 24 August 2016 central Italy was struck by a magnitude 6.2 earthquake
• The epicentre was 100 miles to the north-east of Rome
• The focus was shallow at only 4.4km
• Over 200 aftershocks followed the main earthquake over the next couple of days

Strength of the Italian earthquake tremors

Cause 

• Italy is located along the plate boundary where the Africa plate meets the Eurasian plate
• The two fault lines running through Italy are the North-South Fault and the East-West Fault

Effects

• Severe damage to buildings
  • 80% of buildings in Amatrice old town were affected
  • Over 50% of all buildings in Amatrice were damaged and destroyed
  • The school in Amatrice collapsed
• 296 people died
• Landslides blocked the roads 
• Psychological effects on the population
• Tourism was negatively affected
• Farmers were affected as 90% of barns and stalls for livestock in the immediate area were destroyed
• Amatrice hospital was badly damaged

Immediate responses

• Rescue workers sent to the worst hit areas with hours. They included;
  • Soldiers
  • Red Cross 
  • Firefighters
  • Rescue dogs (70 dog teams)
  • Helicopters
• Patients from Amatrice transferred to nearby hospital in Rieti
  • Temporary hospital set up in Amatrice to treat the injured
• Temporary shelters (tents) were supplied for 10,000 people made homeless
• Shelters at sports halls and other community buildings were provided
• Immediate inspection of communications - telephone and internet
  • Emergency lines set up as extra support
  • Local residents were asked to remove their wi-fi passwords to improve rescue team communication
• Mobile kitchens serving 1,000 meals a day 
• Additional blood donation sessions set up to supply additional blood for those people injured

Long term responses

• The Italian government promised relocate those made homeless into temporary accommodation within 6 months
• €42 million initiative called 'Home Italy' which would rebuild homes in the same style as they had been before the earthquake
• Fundraising by the community and Italian Red Cross 
• Children attended classes in towns near to Amatrice to ensure they didn't miss education
• A temporary school was built in Amatrice