Efficient Ways to Manage Earthquakes

As we all know, earthquakes causes many problems like collapsing structures. This can lead to economical damage, and even the loss of many lives! Many countries affected by earthquakes have used different methods to better manage them.

One way is to implement guidelines on the location of new infrastructure and set limits to the height of buildings. An example of this method is in Tokyo, Japan, where the buildings all have a height limit so they are not too tall, so the chances of them collapsing in an earthquake is lowered.

However, there are limitations to this method. The control of land in developing countries is very difficult, where there is high rural-urban migration and the country does not have sufficient resources to improve the situation.


Another method is to design earthquake-resistant infrastructures.

One such example is the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco. Here are some specifications of it:

• The four-storey base of the building contains a total of 16,000 cu yd (12,000 m³) of concrete and over 300 mi (480 km) of steel re bar.
• The building's foundation is 9 feet (2.7 m) thick and was the result of a 3 day, 24-hour continuous concrete pour
• The building has a pyramid shape, with a wide base.

These are some measures used to protect the Transamerica Pyramid from earthquakes.

The disadvantages of this method is that poorer nations are unable to afford such infrastructure designs, as they require many resources. The Transamerica Pyramid cost S$75 million to build!

One other method is to educate people about earthquakes and prepare them by conducting drills regularly. This will familiarise people on what to do in the event of an earthquake. Japan is one such country that conducts drills often. Here is a video of a Japanese earthquake drill:

Most governments of earthquake-prone countries also use posters and signs to warn people of areas that are extremely prone to eartquakes. (e.g. coastal areas where eartquake can trigger tsunamis.)

However, a downside to this method is that people tend to get complacent and may not see the importance of earthquake education and drills, especially if earthquakes have not happened in that region for a while. For example, a study showed that people living in Tokyo are less prepared for earthquakes than people living in other regions of Japan as the last earthquake occurred around 90 years ago, in 1923.