Earthquakes (Primary Impacts and Secondary Imapcts
- Primary Impacts:Buildings and bridges collapse
- People are injured or killed by the buildings and bridges
- Forms of transport are destroyed
- Gas pipes are broken causing leaks and cut off supplies
- Sewage pipes are broken
- Secondary Impacts:Earthquakes trigger landslides and tsunami
- Leaking gases causes fires
- People are left homeless
- Can cause psychological problems
- Shortage of clean water which spreads diseases
- Roads are broken so makes aid more difficult to get to them
Impacts of Earthquakes in LEDCs
Impacts of Earthquakes are more severe in LEDCs because:
- Houses are poorly built so are easily broken
- Poor quality of roads which makes emergency services harder to reach injured people causing more deaths
- LEDC's don't have much money to protect themselves from the earthquakes
- Hospitals are poor so don't have enough supplies and which results to more deaths
Reducing Imapcts of Earthquakes
You can't predict an earthquake but there are clues like small tremors, cracks appearing in roks and strange animal behaviour (Rats abandoning nests). Also you could map and see which places are likely to be affected by earthquakes again giving them time to prepare.
Buildings can be designed to with stand earthquakes, e.g. reinforced concrete. Constructing earthquake-proof buildings redces the number of buildings destroyed by an earthquake so fewer people killed,injured or made homeless.
Future developments - New buildings built in areas at least risk of earthquakes affecting. Firebreaks can be made to reduce the spread of fires. You can also plan evacuation routes.
Reducing Imapcts of Earthquakes (Continued)
Educate people about earthquakes and what they should do. This reduces death. People can be told how to make a survival kit:
- Blankets - To Keep Warm
- First Aid - For injuries
- Torch - To see when it's dark
- Whistle - To Alert people
- Tin food - Won't go off
- Can Opener - To open the cans
- Radio - To keep updated
Which reduces the chances of people dying if they're stuck in the area.
LEDCs receive aid which helps reduce the impacts, e.g. money aid is used to rebuild homes.