Earthquake Awareness Research Articles

Comparison of Two Successive Earthquake Awareness Campaigns in Israel: Improved Methodology or a Cumulative Effect?

An effective way to reduce casualties from earthquakes is to increase population preparedness. During 2011 to 2013, Israeli authorities executed 3 national-level earthquake awareness campaigns. We aimed to assess the impact of these campaigns on the populace and the ability of the campaigns to produce a cumulative effect throughout the study period. Two surveys were conducted 2 weeks after the end of the first campaign and the third campaign in a similar randomly selected representative sample. Exposure to the campaign proved to be a significant factor in increasing the knowledge of the respondents, giving a knowledge advantage of 1.5 times to respondents exposed to the campaign. However, the period of assessment proved to be an even more significant factor, with knowledge in 2013 being 2.3 times that in 2011. Additionally, a gap of up to 40% between the levels of trust and the perceived responsibility of respective authorities in the times of earthquake was found. This study found an improvement in public knowledge regarding earthquake preparedness over the 3 years of the study. This may mean that an awareness campaign does not stand by itself, but should be part of an integrated long-term process in order to have a lasting effect on the population.

Development of NERSS Training Program for Earthquake Emergency Response Capacity Building of Local Governments

Responses to medium-magnitude earthquakes are as significant as to catastrophic earthquakes, because medium-magnitude temblors occur as many as a dozen times more than catastrophic earthquakes – at least from the year 1900. In China, local governments are obligated to protect residents against earthquakes that have a magnitude of <bm>Ms</bm>$6.0. The ways in which local governments perform these obligations differ, however, due to obstacles such as inadequate disaster planning, a lack of public earthquake awareness, and a shortage of qualified emergency managers. When an earthquake hits, the hazards that residents are unaware of may arise concurrently, putting thousands lives and millions of acres of property in danger. In short, the response capacity of local governments is crucial to an earthquake’s aftermath. To enhance the capacity of local government response to earthquake emergencies, the National Earthquake Response Support Service (NERSS) of China started work on training programs years ago. With the cooperation with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japanese scientists in the last five years, based on lessons learned from China’s historical earthquakes and disasters, the authors have created the prototype for an earthquake disaster management curriculum, which it has then been demonstrated and continuously improved. This paper reviews the prototype curriculum and its development methodology, presents demonstrative deliveries of the curriculum, and discusses training effectiveness and further improvements. Applying an international emergency management framework and related experience, focusing on local government capacity building, the demonstrative trainings have been proved to be beneficial to local government response activities and the latest amendment to earthquake preplanning in China. Future systematic tracking research of training effectiveness is proposed to keep curriculum updating and appropriate as times change.

Assessment of predominant frequencies using ambient vibration in the Kachchh region of western India: implications for earthquake hazards

The Kachchh region is the second most seismically active region in India after the Himalaya. One of the disastrous Indian earthquakes of the millennium was the Bhuj earthquake of January 26, 2001, which caused about 14,000 casualties and huge property damage. The main reason for such devastation is due to lack of earthquake awareness and poor construction practices. Hence, an increase in the knowledge and awareness, based on improved seismic hazard assessment, is required to mitigate damage due to an earthquake. Natural predominant ground frequencies have been investigated in the Kachchh region of western India using ambient vibrations. The horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio technique has been applied to estimate the predominant frequency at 126 sites. The ambient vibration measurements were conducted for about 1 h at each site in the continuous mode recording at 100 samples/s. We have validated the estimated predominant frequency with earthquake data recorded at six broadband stations in the region. It has been observed that geological time period has a significant effect on predominant frequency of the ground. The estimated predominant frequencies vary from 0.24 to 2.25 Hz for the Quaternary, 0.41–2.34 Hz for the Tertiary, 0.32–4.91 Hz for the Cretaceous, and 0.39–8.0 Hz for the Jurassic/Mesozoic. In the Deccan trap, it varies from 1.30 to 3.80 Hz. We found distinct variation of predominant frequencies of sites associated with hard rock and soft soil. The predominant frequencies were related to the thickness of the sediments, which are deduced by other geophysical and geological methods in the region. Our results suggest that frequencies of the region reveals the site characteristics that can be considered for studying the seismic risks to evolve a plan for disaster risk mitigation for the region.

The impact of retrofitting work on awareness raising and knowledge transfer in Aceh Province, Indonesia

Some of the buildings in Aceh Province, Indonesia constructed after the 2004 earthquake and tsunami disaster were found vulnerable. The vulnerable buildings were retrofitted to make them safer and child friendly. Save the Children, one of the implementing agencies, assumed that the process of retrofitting would attract interest from the communities, raise their earthquake awareness, stimulate earthquake safe construction practices, and contribute to earthquake disaster risk reduction. It was also assumed that the retrofitting process would benefit the communities through knowledge transfer of safer construction practices. To assess the impact on awareness and knowledge transfer of the retrofitting work carried out by Save the Children from 2005 to 2008, a survey was carried out in 2009. A total of 104 people who were directly involved in the retrofitting/rehabilitation process were interviewed. The survey covered four districts in Aceh Province, Indonesia where schools, health facilities, and houses were retrofitted. The survey results show that the respondents felt that the impact of retrofitting work on transferring knowledge in the communities was not significant. However, the respondents felt that the retrofitting work had a definite impact on raising awareness of disaster risks and measures for disaster risk reduction.

Disaster, Memory and Culture: Distressing Attempts to Develop Disaster Culture in Turkey

It has been always a painful step to settle the disaster consciousness in general, and earthquake awareness in particular among the community in Turkey. Although the country had serious and disastrous seismic experiences in the far and near past, the expectations from the past lessons in terms of achieving the shift from fatalist to resilient society have always been very limited. One of the foremost reasons for the failure in disaster culture development among the community depends on the ill-structured political attempts. The Van Earthquake that hit the Eastern Turkey on the 23rd of October, 2011 resulted in considerable damages and human losses. Very recently, the Van city representative of the leading political party (the provincial president of the party, AKP) gave a present to the Prime Minister of Turkey during a meeting in Van city in 2012. That present was the picture of a little boy (13 years old), Yunus, who was killed in the last year’s earthquake of Van. The picture was very famous and fell into media during the earthquake time. Yunus, the poor boy, was in an internet-cafe which was located on the ground floor of an apartment building. The building suddenly collapsed when the seismic tremors hit the region, and Yunus could not escape like many others. When the Search and Rescue (SR) team found him under the ruins after many hours, he was still alive and carrying a dead body of an other disaster victim on his back whom probably he never met before. Many people in Turkey followed that dramatic scene and story on national media (TVs and newspapers). What also made that event famous was the prayings of poor Yunus to the SR team. He was pleading and saying that: “please save me quick, my father does not know that I was in the cafe, if he learns he will be angry with me!”. He was saved under the debris of heavy concrete building and sent to the hospital but unfortunately he died in the hospital due to heavy physical trauma. That picture which was given as a present to the Prime Minister was symbolizing the dramatic memories of the disaster, but more, the vulnerability of the physical and social structures of the country. However, the picture of Yunus was presented and introduced to the Prime Ministry and media as a tool which would have been believed to contribute for developing disaster culture among the community by the local politicians. This short paper criticizes the approach of political system and behavior of politicians to disaster phenomena in terms of insufficient shaping attempts of disaster culture. To develop a disaster culture needs a more holistic approach which includes community based learning and training activities, as well as public participation to disaster mitigation and risk reduction activities. However, politicians have not succeeded to implement risk reduction efforts which will strictly important to achieve shift from fatalist to resilient society.

Earthquake Hoax in Ghana: Exploration of the Cry Wolf Hypothesis.

This paper investigated the belief of the news of impending earthquake from any source in the context of the Cry Wolf hypothesis as well as the belief of the news of any other imminent disaster from any source. We were also interested in the correlation between preparedness, risk perception and antecedents. This explorative study consisted of interviews, literature and Internet reviews. Sampling was of a simple random nature. Stratification was carried out by sex and residence type. The sample size of (N=400), consisted of 195 males and 205 Females. Further stratification was based on residential classification used by the municipalities. The study revealed that a person would believe news of an impending earthquake from any source, (64.4%) and a model significance of (P=0.000). It also showed that a person would believe news of any other impending disaster from any source, (73.1%) and a significance of (P=0.003). There is association between background, risk perception and preparedness. Emergency preparedness is weak. Earthquake awareness needs to be re-enforced. There is a critical need for public education of earthquake preparedness. The authors recommend developing emergency response program for earthquakes, standard operating procedures for a national risk communication through all media including instant bulk messaging.

Earthquake awareness and perception of risk among the residents of Istanbul

Awareness and perception of risk are among the most crucial steps in the process of taking precautions at individual level for various hazards. In this study, we investigated the factors affecting better knowledge and greater risk perception about earthquakes among residents of Istanbul. A field survey was carried out, and a total of 1,123 people were interviewed in two districts of Istanbul with different seismic risk levels and from three (low, moderate and high) socio-economic levels (SEL). The findings showed that although the level of knowledge regarding earthquakes and preparedness for them was promising, it could be improved. The results indicated that future preparedness programmes should target people with lower educational and socio-economic levels. The media were the leading source of information among the respondents. Location of the home was a strong influence on individuals having above average earthquake knowledge and even more on high risk perception. Socio-economic parameters (educational level, economic status, SEL of the sub-district and tenure of the home), gender and attitude score were other factors influencing greater risk perception with regard to earthquakes.

Urban earthquake hazard: perceived seismic risk and preparedness in Dhaka City, Bangladesh

Bangladesh is vulnerable to seismic events. Experts suspect that if an earthquake with a 7.0 magnitude occurred in large cities of Bangladesh, there would be a major human tragedy due to the structural failure of many buildings. The primary objectives of this paper are to examine seismic risk perception among residents of Dhaka City and investigate their levels of earthquake preparedness. A questionnaire survey conducted among 444 residents of the city provided the major source of data for the paper. The survey results suggest that an overwhelming majority of the respondents were not prepared for a major earthquake, which is anticipated to occur in Dhaka. Multivariate analysis of survey data reveals that value of residential unit and respondent educational levels appear as the most significant determinants of preparedness status of the respondents. This study recommends increasing earthquake awareness and preparedness among residents of Dhaka City.

Earthquake Emergency Education in Dushanbe, Tajikistan

We developed a middle school earthquake science and hazards curriculum to promote earthquake awareness to students in the Central Asian country of Tajikistan. These materials include pre- and post-assessment activities, six science activities describing physical processes related to earthquakes, five activities on earthquake hazards and mitigation strategies, and a codification art/literacy project. This curriculum was implemented with 43 middle school students in Dushanbe, Tajikistan in the winter of 2008. We examine the effectiveness of each curriculum component in communicating the causes, effects, and mitigation strategies associated with earthquakes to young people, and find significant improvements in seismic and earthquake hazards literacy as a result of the program.

SSA Goes to Washington

The opening lines of the Charles Dickens classic A Tale of Two Cities sum up the past few years: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.” These have indeed been the best and worst of times, as Planet Earth has demonstrated just how dynamic and volatile life here can be. Catastrophic natural disasters such as the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake and tsunami and the 2008 Wenchuan, China, earthquake, as well as a host of hurricanes, floods, and other natural hazards, devastated global and local economies and the quality of life for many individuals. In addition to natural disasters, the escalating global financial crisis is wreaking havoc on world economies. In the United States, unprecedented federal and state budget deficits threaten many of the programs that the Seismological Society of America has championed through the years. We can be proactive about the things we do. This includes making sure that SSA's message is heard and understood by policy makers and public officials, both nationally and globally. But it's not all bad. The past few years have seen tremendous growth, not only in earthquake science and engineering but in public education and awareness of earthquakes and other natural hazards. The observance of the centennial of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake reminded us of how far seismology and the SSA have come in the past century. The success of the “Great Southern California Shake Out”—the largest earthquake drill in U.S. history—and a revitalized National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) have given us much to be enthused about. It also highlights that there is much more to be done. Often it seems that the best we can do is react to situations as they unfold before us. Certainly …

Significant Canadian Earthquakes of the Period 1600-2006

Raising earthquake awareness is an important goal of seismological research. In this respect, the effect of past local earthquakes is an excellent means to raise the local population's awareness. For this reason, Natural Resources Canada has put numerous photographic examples of impacts of local earthquakes on its Web sites (see, for example, http://www.earthquakescanada.ca). The information the site contains is used in the production of various publications and Web pages and is an important source of information for the public. Another much-used public awareness tool is the Atlas of Canada, formerly on paper but now online, which provides authoritative, current, and accessible geographic information products. The atlas facilitates the integration and analysis of diverse data in order to increase overall knowledge about Canada. One much-consulted component of the Web-based atlas (http://www.atlas.gc.ca) is the natural hazards maps (floods, forest fires, landslides, volcanoes, avalanches, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, and earthquakes). The information is used by the public as well as by emergency organizations that seek information on the threats faced by their communities. Before 2007, the Atlas of Canada provided very limited information on earthquake activity in Canada. Thirty earthquakes were briefly described in a nonsystematic manner that did not truly reflect the distribution of earthquakes across the territory or the recent advances in descriptions of historical earthquakes. To update the Atlas of Canada pages on earthquakes, the authors decided to create a list that would include up-to-date information on significant earthquakes in Canada. The authors also decided to publish the results and methodology in a Geological Survey of Canada Open File Report (Lamontagne et al. 2007) as a means of properly documenting each earthquake and ensuring peer review by Geological Survey of Canada seismologists. The new list could also update other existing sites including the EarthquakesCanada Web site. This paper details how the …

Surface Faulting: A New Paradigm for the Pacific Northwest

The past twenty years have witnessed three major paradigm shifts in our understanding of earthquake hazards in the Pacific Northwest. The first paradigm shift was the recognition in the 1980's that the Cascadia subduction zone is capable of great earthquakes. The locked part of the Cascadia subduction zone lacks instrumental seismicity, but geological evidence shows that it can produce an earthquake of MW 9, larger than any expected for California south of Cape Mendocino. In response to the geological evidence, building codes have been upgraded, tsunami inundation maps have been prepared for coastal areas from northern California to northern Washington, and earthquake hazard maps have been constructed for northwestern cities, including Victoria, British Columbia. Earthquake awareness has increased among the general public and within many private companies. Earthquake awareness has increased among the general public and within many private companies in the Pacific Northwest. The second paradigm shift, the alignment of seismic provisions in building codes to reflect greatly increased scientific understanding, has been subtle but of overarching societal importance. This alignment began in the early 1990's when Washington, under the leadership of the Structural Engineers Association of Washington, expanded the Uniform Building Code seismic zone III to include the Mount St. Helens seismic zone, and Oregon adopted a greatly revamped designation of seismic zone maps. This trend toward direct use of scientific results in the building code has accelerated in the last two years, with the State of Washington adopting the International Building Code (IBC). The IBC uses the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) probabilistic hazard map as its basis, thus aligning current best science with engineering practice. Oregon may follow suit; currently 32 states have adopted the IBC. The IBC literally brings USGS hazard calculations onto the desktops of structural engineers. Despite the paradigm shifts related to Cascadia …

The Ohio Seismic Network

In January 1999, the Ohio Seismic Network (OhioSeis) began operations with an initial deployment of 15 stations at colleges, universities, and other institutions in various parts of the state. Funding for the network was provided by the Ohio Emergency Management Agency with Federal Emergency Management Agency Funds for earthquake mitigation. The Ohio Geological Survey assumed the responsibility for organizing, managing, and coordinating the network, and data analysis. The primary mission of the network is to detect and precisely locate earthquakes within the state’s borders, report the severity and potential damage from an event to emergency response officials, and to rapidly respond to media and citizen inquiries after a felt earthquake. Both the media and the public have quickly become dependant on the Ohio Seismic Network to be the primary source of information after an event. Secondary but important goals of both the Ohio Geological Survey and the Ohio Emergency Management Agency are to evaluate seismic risk and to educate citizens about earthquake hazard in the state. The establishment of seismic stations at various educational institutions has provided a valuable experience to students who commonly witness real-time arrival of seismic waves from large teleseismic events. Many of the geology instructors who host stations have developed educational exercises on earthquakes based on the seismic events recorded at their stations and several in-state educational institutions have developed student exercises based on the information available on the Ohio Seismic Network Web site. There has been the added educational bonus of local-station media attention after a local felt earthquake or a devastating teleseismic event. This has brought positive publicity to the local host institution and generated a sense of pride and earthquake awareness in the local community. The public visibility of the Ohio Seismic Network has increased earthquake awareness in the state and has been an integral factor in educating citizens about seismic risk. The extensive OhioSeis Web site (http://www.ohiodnr.com/ OhioSeis) includes generalized educational information, technical information on recent local and regional earthquakes, an extensive chronological catalog of in-state and border-region events, epicenter and basement structure maps of Ohio, and a link to the U.S. Geological Survey

Development and Implementation of the SCEC Communication, Education, and Outreach Program

Research Article| September 01, 2003 Development and Implementation of the SCEC Communication, Education, and Outreach Program Mark L. Benthien; Mark L. Benthien Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Jill H. Andrews Jill H. Andrews Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Seismological Research Letters (2003) 74 (5): 511–515. https://doi.org/10.1785/gssrl.74.5.511 Article history first online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Mark L. Benthien, Jill H. Andrews; Development and Implementation of the SCEC Communication, Education, and Outreach Program. Seismological Research Letters 2003;; 74 (5): 511–515. doi: https://doi.org/10.1785/gssrl.74.5.511 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All ContentBy SocietySeismological Research Letters Search Advanced Search The Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) is a community of more than 500 scientists, students, and staff from 40 academic institutions across the United States, in partnership with more than 50 other science, engineering, education, and government organizations worldwide. SCEC's mission is to gather new information about earthquakes in Southern California, integrate this information into a comprehensive and predictive understanding of earthquake phenomena, and communicate this understanding to increase earthquake awareness, reduce economic losses, and save lives. Primary funding for SCEC is provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS). A core activity of... You do not currently have access to this article.

Earthquake fears, predictions, and preparations in mid-America

When self-proclaimed climatologist Iben Browning predicted that a major earthquake would shatter the Heartland on 2 or 3 December 1990, many living within reach of the New Madrid fault zone reacted with varying combinations of preparation and panic. John E. Farley explores public reaction to Browning's pseudoscientific prediction, presenting important data gathered both before and after the threat proved empty. Farley and fellow members of his survey team consider the long-term effects of the Browning prediction on earthquake awareness and preparedness in a region that remains at risk for a damaging quake. All four surveys offer important insights into what people believe about earthquake risk in the NMSZ, what they know about earthquakes, what specific actions they have - and have not - taken in preparation for earthquakes, and what they think a severe quake would do to their neighborhoods.

Down but Not Out: Earthquake Awareness and Preparedness Trends in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area, 1990–1997

This paper reports results of a telephone survey in the St. Louis metropolitan area assessing household earthquake awareness and preparedness in November 1997. This survey extends time-series data on awareness and preparedness in the area, which I obtained from earlier surveys conducted in October 1990, February 1991, July 1992, and May 1993. The previous surveys constitute the only time-series data assessing the effects of a pseudo-scientific earthquake prediction (in this case, one made by the late Iben Browning) with measurement of attitudes and beliefs both before and after disconfirmation of the prediction. In general, the new survey shows that both the perceived risk of a damaging earthquake and levels of household preparedness in the region have undergone steady, long-term declines since 1991. There has also been some decline in concern about earthquake risk since 1992. Nonetheless, there has been some lasting effect of preparation actions taken in response to Iben Browning's 1990 pseudoscientific earthquake prediction. For all three preparedness actions for which data are available from 1990 through 1997, the 1997 data indicate a higher level of preparedness than was observed in October 1990, two months before the date on which Browning said a damaging earthquake was likely. And the level of preparedness is much higher than was observed in the larger New Madrid region in another survey taken in 1987.

The Copala, Guerrero, Mexico Earthquake of September 14, 1995 (Mw=7.4): A Preliminary Report

INTRODUCTION The Copala, Guerrero, Mexico earthquake is the largest earthquake to occur in Mexico since the destructive 1985 events. It occurred at a time when earthquake awareness in Mexico was heightened, as the country prepared for numerous commemorative activities of the 1985 main shock, which were to occur five days later. The strong motion data from this earthquake highlights the enormous progress in instrumentation that has occurred over the past ten years. As in 1985, the accelerogram nearest the epicenter has peak values that are notably smaller than expected, and it seems to display a static offset when integrated. Indeed, accelerations on rock at all distances average below values that were expected based on previous experience in Guerrero. Table 1 lists hypocentral parameters for the earthquake. The UNAM epicenter is shown in Figure 1. All the hypocenters derived from teleseismic data are demonstrably less reliable. The UNAM hypocenter listed here...

Fault-Rupture Hazards, the Alquist-Priolo Fault Hazard Act, and Siting Decisions in California

Most of the earthquake-related studies for urban development in California during the past two decades have been focused on the location of “active faults.” Since 1972 (1 year after the San Fernando earthquake), California law (the Alquist-Priolo Act) has required site-specific studies to locate active faults so that no structure for human occupancy will be built astride a fault which has been active during Holocene time. The political process permitted the original Alquist-Priolo Act to become so limited in scope that to date it has been essentially useless with regard to approximately 99 percent of the earthquake damage losses. The original version of the bill was reasonably good, comprehensive geologic/seismic legislation addressing most of the geologic phenomena which cause damage during earthquakes. Lobbyists representing real estate interests opposed the original bill, but finally agreed to support a bill limited to the fault-rupture hazards only. The studies required by the Alquist-Priolo Act are of questionable economic value inasmuch as the costs may be high while the benefits based on review of historic earthquake damage are very limited. Fault rupture accounts for less than 1 percent of earthquake damage (0 percent of the estimated over $5.9 billion in damages caused by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in California), yet it is the only earthquake hazard specifically addressed by all but one ordinance in California (San Diego has a liquefaction hazard ordinance). The office of the State Geologist is required to put Alquist-Priolo reports on file, but is neither required nor authorized to be involved in review or other regulatory functions; thus, review of adequacy of a) type and extent of investigation, b) conclusions, and c) recommendations is left to local city and county staff who, in many cases, lack sufficient education and/or experience to perform such reviews. California is viewed by many other states as a leader in earthquake awareness and safety. Some states have adopted ordinances similar to the Alquist-Priolo Act which tends to lead the public to believe, “If I am not on the fault, I am earthquake-safe.” This certainly is not the case and regulations such as the Alquist-Priolo Act often are not in the best interest of the public and can promote poor siting decisions. California Assembly Speaker Brown successfully carried a bill (AB 3897) in 1990 requiring the other geologic-related hazards that represent more than 99 percent of the losses to be addressed. Hopefully, this legislation will be implemented and enforced in the future so that the dollar loss from earthquakes can be successfully reduced and life-safety can be better protected. Along with better geologic hazard legislation must be education of the public so that appropriate decisions may be made regarding personal property and life-safety, and wise regulations for public buildings which communities expect to be safe during disastrous events, such as earthquakes.

Media Coverage of the Browning Prediction

A study of three newspapers that primarily serve the New Madrid Fault area shows that the press and public officials probably share the blame for public panic surrounding the 1990 Iben Browning earthquake prediction. The press failed to report soon enough scientists’ views that refuted Browning's prediction, and some public officials used mass media to promote earthquake awareness even though the tactics fed public misperceptions about the likelihood of Browning's prediction coming to pass.

The social dynamics of a false earthquake prediction and the response by the public sector

AbstractThe central United States and the nation experienced the effects of a false, pseudoscientific, unofficial prediction in 1990. The lack of a timely, public rebuttal of the Iben Browning earthquake prediction led to tremendous unnecessary efforts by local, state, and federal governments to respond to the public's demand for information about the validity of the prediction and how to prepare for the predicted earthquake. The effort was costly both in terms of money and diversion of staff from other necessary services. Although the prediction may have increased the level of earthquake awareness and preparedness in the central U.S., that awareness and preparedness may have been forged at the expense of scientific and government credibility.