Disaster Nursing

EARTHQUAKE MANAGEMENT

What is an Earthquake?

Earthquakes refer to shaking of earth. There is continuous

activity going on below the surface of the earth. There are several
large plates (size of continents) below the surface of the earth,
which move (at a very slow speed). As a part of this movement,
sometimes, they collide against each other. And, after the collision,
they might still continue to push each other. As they continually
keep pushing each other, there is a pressure building up across
these plates below the surface. And, then, at a certain time, one of
the plates might slide over another. This causes an earthquake.

Classifying An Earthquake
The impact of an earthquake (at any location) is characterized by two primary
characteristics:
Intensity
This measures the magnitude of the event. Higher is the value, the bigger is
the magnitude. The most common scale used for measuring an earthquake
is Richter Scale. It should be understood that Richter scale is a logarithmic
scale. What this means is an earthquake measuring 6.0 is 10 times more
powerful than an earthquake measuring 5.0
Epicenter
This denotes the exact location, where the earthquake originated. The
deeper it is inside the earth, the lower will be the impact on the surface
where human beings reside.

Some Recent Earthquakes

Some of the earthquakes in recent times have been (not in any
particular order):
El Salvador; In 2001; Magnitude: 7.7
S. Peru; In 2001; Magnitude 7.9
Algeria; In 2003; Magnitude 6.8
Indonesia: In 2004; Magnitude 9.0
India; In 2001; Magnitude 8.1
China - Sichuan Province; In May 2008; Magnitude 8.1; More
than 68,000 dead and 350,000 injured

Nature of Losses And Damages

The most common kinds of loss that are caused by an earthquake
(depending on the severity) are:
Damage structures
Causing partial or total collapse, damage to road and rail
network, damage to utility carriers etc.
Sea activity
Water level in the sea could rise suddenly, causing very high
waves, several meters in height, which could then flood the
coastal areas. These could give rise to tsunamis, causing damage
to coastal areas.

Contd...
Landslide
As earth shakes, in mountainous regions, huge chunks of land
could fall/slide onto lower regions of the mountains. This could
have several impacts, including: changed topography, blocked
roadways, damage to anything that comes in the way of the
landslide, massive damage to the structure which sits on the
piece of sliding land and massing damage to the houses and
roads where the piece of land finally lands. The landslide could
also trigger another set of minor earthquakes.

Contd...
Quake Lakes
In the earthquake in China (May 2008), landslides blocked Jiangjiang river,
resulting in creations of (about 35) lakes. These lakes in turn posed severe threat
of flooding downstreams - due to possible bursting. More than 150,000 people
had to be evacuated - due to this threat of flooding.

Aftershocks
Earthquakes are also characterized by aftershocks. After any major seismic
activity below the earth, the new order might take a while to finally settle down.
During this time, there might be some more activity below the earth (sort of
adjusting of the new positions for the various plates, layers etc.) These activities
result in several more earthquakes. These are called, aftershocks. Typically,
aftershocks are much smaller in magnitude, however, some times, one of the
aftershocks could be more severe than the main earthquake. Also, aftershocks
could strike up to several days after the main event.

Recognizing an Earthquake
The most common ways to identify the onset of an earthquake would
be:
A feeling of shaking of the ground below you, if you are
sitting/standing. The most common feeling is as if the person is
feeling giddy.
Swinging of overhead hanging stuff, e.g. fans, chandeliers etc.
However, in this situation, you should distinguish between swaying
of overhead hanging stuff due to wind
A feeling as if both the rear tires of your car are flat (if you are
driving)

What to do beforehand?
The movement of the ground in an earthquake is rarely the direct cause
of injuries; most are caused by falling objects or collapsing buildings.
Many earthquakes are followed (several hours or even days later) by
further tremors, usually of progressively decreasing intensity.
To reduce the destructive effects of earthquakes a number of
precautions are essential for people living in risk areas:
- Build in accordance with urban planning regulations for risk areas.
- Ensure that all electrical and gas appliances in houses, together with all
pipes connected to them, are firmly fixed.
- Avoid storing heavy objects and materials in high positions.
- Hold family evacuation drills and ensure that the whole family knows what
to do in case of an earthquake.
- Prepare a family emergency kit.

During an earthquake
Keep calm, do not panic.
People who are indoors should stay there but move to the central
part of the building.
Keep away from the stairs, which might collapse suddenly.
People who are outside should stay there, keeping away from
buildings to avoid collapsing walls and away from electric cables.
Anyone in a vehicle should park it, keeping away from bridges
and buildings.

After an earthquake
Obey the authorities instructions.
Do not go back into damaged buildings since tremors may start again
at any moment.
Give first aid to the injured and contact the emergency services in case
of fire, burst pipes, etc.
Do not go simply to look at the stricken areas: this will hamper rescue
work.
Keep emergency packages and a radio near at hand.
Make sure that water is safe to drink and food stored at home is fit to
eat (in case of electricity cuts affecting refrigerators and freezers).

THANK YOU!!!