You've probably heard that Chile was hit with an 8.8 magnitude earthquake. According to a list by the US Geological Survey, that would place it in a tie for the 5th strongest earthquake since 1900 (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/world/10_largest_world.php). It was also just north of the largest earthquake ever recorded, a 9.5 magnitude one known as the Valdivia Earthquake because Valdivia was the city that was most affected.
The current death estimate is a little over 700. On January 12, Haiti had a 7.0 magnitude quake that left almost a quarter of a million people dead. Both of these quakes were catastrophic with the 8.8 one being significantly stronger (the scale they use is logarithmic, where each digit the scale goes up means the quake is 10 times stronger: an 8.0 quake is 10 times stronger than a 7.0). Why did Haiti have so many more casualties? There are a few reasons:
1.- The Haiti quake was much closer to the surface, at about 8 miles while the Chilean one was about 39 miles from the surface of the earth. Deeper earthquakes tend to produce less damage.
2.- Haiti is a poorer country, and because of this, has a higher proportion of people living in substandard housing.
3.- Chile is a more geologically active region, with more quakes. When I was a teen, my social studies teacher spoke of cartographers having to redraw maps of the mostly uninhabited islands off the shore of Chile because some would appear and others vanish with earthquakes. The last quake that affected Haiti was the 8.0 Dominican Republic one in 1946 (Haiti and the DR are on opposite sides of the island of Hispaniola).
4.- The 1960 quake in Valdivia, the one with the 9.5 magnitude was the impetus for states, towns, and builders to re-evaluate construction codes for new buildings to withstand strong earthquakes. Codes were re-written not only in Chile but in places as far as California to prevent as much damage as possible. Codes were not applied in places that are less likely to be hit by earthquakes.
A little trivia on Chile:
It is roughly 2800 miles long and 200 miles wide, on the Pacific side of the southern cone of South America. In January 2006 Chileans elected their first female president, Michelle Bachelet Jeria of the Socialist Party, to a 4 year term. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) states that it leads Latin American nations in human development, competitiveness, quality of life, political stability, globalization, economic freedom, low perception of corruption and comparatively low poverty rates.
An earthquake is a shaking of the ground caused by the sudden breaking and movement of large sections of the earth's rocky outermost crust. Recently Haiti and Chile were hit with severe earthquakes. Chile's earthquake happened more recently so people have stopped caring so much for the haitians and have started donations for the people in Chile. The people of Chile are much better of because their country is much wealthier than Haiti is. Haiti is a very poor country and although there earthquake wasnt as bad as the one that happened in Chile it is going to take them much longer to recover.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds really terrible. I thought the earthquake in Haiti was almost as bad as it gets, but now Chile was hit with a harder one. I wonder if we are going to help them out like how we helped out Haiti, or if we are just going to leave it as it is because we funded Haiti with a lot of money. I personally think that we should try and help CHile out but we should not go over board because there are also many people in the US that need help also. We should help the family which is the US before we actually start to help out others
ReplyDeleteIn response to no. 2, the causes for high death rates due to substandard housing are more complex than simple poverty among the Haitian population. Haiti's rampant poverty has been a result of constant international economic and militarily intervention since its independence in 1804. Poverty was escalated greatly from the the American occupation from 1915-1934; but more specifically, poor Haitians had access to cheap and sufficiently safe concrete for the construction of their homes prior to the illegal American ousting of the then democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, in 1991(and again in 2004). America then restored Aristide to presidency under the forced conditions of the privatizing of the Haitian concrete industry (among other industries), and all other IMF stipulations. The privatization eventually lead to the destruction of the concrete industry, and transformed Haiti from a concrete exporter into a concrete importer. Because of this, poor families deciding whether to feed their families or buy expensive imported concrete for their homes, chose to instead use sand from the beach as a base for creating far cheaper concrete, resulting in highly unsafe structures throughout the poor neighborhoods of Haiti and spiking the death totals above normal levels (among other factors).
ReplyDeleteI read about this in the newspaper and I wondered at first why the earthquake devastated Haiti more then it did in Chile. Then I saw in the paper that Chile is used to getting these types of natural disasters and are better prepared for it. I also read that the president of Chile spoke to the public not too long after the disaster hit to talk to the people. Meanwhile it took a few days for the Haiti leader to speak, most people weren't even sure if they were alive still. I also saw that Chile has built buildings that are able to handle earthquakes better when Haiti didn't have such preparations.
ReplyDeleteI can relate with what taylor had said. WHen i read about this in the newspaper it said that the reason that the destruction rate was so different between the two places was because chilie was so use to getting earhtquakes that they were more prepard for them. people knew what to do when it happened so there was a lot less deaths then in haiti even though haiti had a much smaller quake. Another reason is the construction of the holes in both palces differs the chiliean people build there homes to withstand earthquakes. they are built to code while the people in haiti due to poverty live basicaly in a shack that is made from recycled metal. That is why the death rate in haiti was so high becasue of poor construction. People in haiti could have been sitting home and then the earthquake shakes there home it collapses in and kills everyone inside and this is the same story for many people that live this way. they died because thier homes collapsed in on them and crushed them to death.
ReplyDeleteI actually heard a story about the earthquake in Chile. How that even though it was really unfortunate that an earthquake had hit Chile, it was also unlucky for Chile because it was right after Haiti and people may feel less inclined to help or donate because they had just given to the Haiti fund. I personally think that it is all about being prepared for natural disasters. I know its is impossible to prevent a disaster but taking precautions can save lives. I have seen several public service announcements about being prepared since Haiti as well.
ReplyDeleteThis is very unfortunate for everyone living in these areas. I have heard that Chile was better suited to last an earthquake better than Haiti because Haiti is so poor. It is good that there are so many people donating the the Haiti relief fund and trying to help. It is horrible that the living conditions in Haiti are so bad, which ultimately led to the dath toll being so high. It is just a horrible situation for Haitians to be in.
ReplyDeleteI find it weird that a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti would be worse than the one in Chili that had an 8.8 one, but it does make sence when it expolains how far from the surface they were. I also find it very mysterious like that islands can vanish because of earthquakes. I feel really bad for the people who died or lost someone or lost they homes even if they were more like a shack because of the poverty. I don't think I can ever relate to their hurt. If possible, a lot more people should find time to volunteer and help people who are less fortunate. Not just with money but with lending a kind hand and helping out.
ReplyDeleteIt makes sense that haiti's earth quake was more disastrous than Chili because even thought Chili had a 8.8 magnitude and Haiti had a 7.0, haiti wasnt prepared and Haiti has a very poor ecomony. These earth quakes are very devastating and i hope both of these countrys get help and work through this period of time, but i am happy that alot of people donated and put out a lending hand to help out.
ReplyDelete