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The first few months
of 2001 have seen major earthquakes affect the lives of thousands
in India, El Salvador and the USA. You can read about the
earthquakes in Gujarat state, India and Seattle, USA by clicking
on the icons below.
Earthquake in India: January 26th 2001
Earthquake
in the USA: February 28th 2001
You can find out more
about earthquake activity and other natural disasters by visiting
the following websites:
www.reliefweb.int/
www.disasterrelief.org/
| Once
you have read the two articles, have a go at finishing
off the table below.
|
 to
print the table
| to
print out the missing information. Sort and match up the
statements to either the table's empty boxes on Gujurat
or the table's empty boxes on Seattle. When you have completed
the table, write a paragraph to explain why people in
poorer countries are more vulnerable to natural disasters
like earthquakes, using the table's case studies to support
your arguments. |
| Location |
Gujarat State,
India |
Seattle, Washington
State, USA |
| When it happened |
8.46 am, 26th January
2001 |
10.54 am, February
28th 2001 |
| Magnitude on
the Richter Scale |
7.7 |
6.8 |
| Type of plate
margin and the names of the plates involved |
- |
- |
| Death Toll |
|
|
| Other effects
on people |
500,000 people were
made homeless. Bhuj was badly hit, and whole villages
were flattened. It was difficult to cope with the water,
food, medical and clothing needs of the injured and homeless,
and there was a growing threat of disease. Two months
later, some villages in remote areas have still not received
help. |
Little damage to
most parts of the city, although 250 people were injured
and some older brick buildings may be demolished. People
experienced delays at Seattle airport, roads buckled,
and 17,000 people were without power. Businesses were
badly affected, and the costs of repairs could be more
than $1 billion |
| Immediate human
response |
- |
- |
| Possible human
response in the long-term |
Stricter building
codes to use designs that can withstand earthquakes. An
international rescue system could help to respond to such
disasters more quickly. |
A new kind of concrete,
simcon, may make buildings virtually quake-proof. Strict
building codes will continue and more people may take
out extra insurance to cover themselves during future
earthquakes. |
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