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Shaking things up: How to minimize earthquake damage

When the ground starts to rumble, it’s too late to start preparing. Earthquakes can strike without warning, leaving destruction in their wake. However, with proper planning and preparation, we can significantly reduce the damage caused by these seismic events. Let’s explore some scientifically backed strategies to minimize earthquake damage, drawing from expert sources and government agencies.

Building a strong foundation

The old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” couldn’t be more apt when it comes to earthquake preparedness. The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) emphasizes the importance of structural integrity in minimizing earthquake damage. For homeowners and businesses, this means:

1. Evaluating your building’s structure, especially if it’s older than current seismic design provisions in local building codes.
2. Considering retrofits to meet or exceed current building codes.
3. Paying special attention to unreinforced masonry, which is particularly vulnerable during earthquakes.

Securing the inside

While a strong building is crucial, what’s inside matters too. Non-structural elements can pose significant risks during an earthquake. Earthquake experts recommend several steps to secure your interior spaces:

• Anchor heavy furniture, appliances, and shelving to wall studs.
• Secure ceiling lights and false ceilings to joists.
• Install flexible gas and water connections on appliances.
• Apply safety film to windows and glass doors to prevent shattering.
• Brace heavy machinery, containers, and tanks that could shift or rupture. These measures not only protect your belongings but also reduce the risk of injury from falling objects.

Preparing for the aftermath

Earthquake damage isn’t limited to the shaking itself. Secondary effects, like fires, can be just as devastating. The California Earthquake Authority emphasizes the importance of post-earthquake preparedness:

• Regularly check fire safety equipment, including extinguishers and water tanks.
• Assemble disaster preparedness kits with essentials like dust masks, portable chargers, and battery-powered radios.
• Train staff or family members on emergency procedures, including how to shut off gas, electricity, and water. Did you know that after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, it was the subsequent fires that caused about 90% of the total damage? This underscores the critical importance of fire prevention and preparedness in earthquake-prone areas.

Community-wide efforts

Individual preparedness is crucial, but community-wide efforts can have an even broader impact. The Seismological Society of America recommends several actions for managing earthquake risk on a larger scale:

1. Developing a culture of preparedness through education and awareness programs.
2. Investing in retrofitting or replacing essential facilities like hospitals, schools, and emergency response centers.
3. Collaborating on region-wide, multi-organizational plans for earthquake response and recovery. Japan’s nationwide earthquake early warning system, implemented in 2007, provides a few seconds to a minute of warning before strong shaking begins, allowing people to take immediate protective actions.

The role of technology

Advancements in technology play an increasingly important role in earthquake preparedness. While we can’t predict earthquakes with precision, early warning systems can provide crucial seconds of advance notice. Many cities and states now offer free earthquake alert apps that can give residents a brief heads-up before the shaking starts.

For instance, the ShakeAlert system on the U.S. West Coast can detect earthquakes as they begin, potentially providing valuable seconds of warning to areas farther from the epicenter. This time can be crucial for automated systems to slow trains, open firehouse doors, or initiate other protective measures.

Innovative building technologies

Engineers and architects are continually developing new technologies to make buildings more earthquake-resistant. Some fascinating innovations include:

1. Base isolation: This technique involves placing flexible pads between a building and its foundation, allowing the structure to move somewhat independently of the ground during an earthquake.
2. Tuned mass dampers: Large weights placed at the top of tall buildings that move in the opposite direction of the building’s sway, helping to counteract the earthquake’s motion.
3. Shape memory alloys: These materials can “remember” their original shape after being deformed, potentially allowing buildings to return to their original position after an earthquake.
4. Self-centering systems: These designs allow buildings to rock during an earthquake and then return to their original position, minimizing structural damage.

Seismic deconvolution and masking

Seismic deconvolution removes effects that mask primary reflected events on a seismogram, such as absorption, reverberation, and ghosting. This technique helps obtain clearer seismic data, crucial for understanding geological structures and making informed decisions about building designs and retrofits.

Additionally, explainable artificial intelligence (AI) is also being used to design masks for self-supervised seismic denoising. This approach helps suppress noise in seismic data without requiring prior knowledge of the noise itself, making it a fully automated denoising procedure. This technology can significantly improve the accuracy of seismic data interpretation, leading to better earthquake preparedness and response strategies.

“Floating house”

One of the most intriguing innovations in earthquake-resistant housing comes from Japan. Air Danshin Systems Inc., a Japanese company, has developed a groundbreaking technology that allows houses to temporarily “float” above the ground during earthquakes. Here’s how Air Danshin’s system works:

• The house is built with an additional foundation, a sensor, and an air compressor.
• When the sensor detects the initial tremors of an earthquake, it sends a signal to the external air compressor.
• Within 0.5 to 1 second, the compressor activates and pumps compressed air between the earthquake-proof foundation and the base of the house.
• This action lifts the entire structure approximately 3 cm (about 1.2 inches) off the ground.
• The house remains elevated during the earthquake, effectively isolating it from ground movements.
• Once the tremors subside, the air is gradually released, and the house settles back onto its foundation. Air Danshin claims that a house not in contact with the ground during an earthquake will not shake, thus preventing damage. However, this technology has limitations. The 3 cm lift height may not be sufficient for earthquakes with significant vertical movement. Additionally, the system comes with a substantial cost.

Despite these limitations, Air Danshin’s floating house technology represents an innovative approach to earthquake-resistant housing. While it may not be a complete solution to earthquake damage, it could be a valuable piece of a larger strategy for improving seismic safety.

Economic impact and insurance

The economic toll of earthquakes can be staggering. The 1994 Northridge earthquake in California, the second-most seismically-active U.S. states, caused an estimated $20 billion in damage. Earthquake insurance can play a crucial role in recovery, but standard homeowner’s insurance policies typically don’t cover earthquake damage.

In California, the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) provides most residential earthquake insurance policies. As of 2022, only about 10% of California homeowners had earthquake insurance, highlighting a significant gap in financial preparedness.

While we can’t prevent earthquakes, we can certainly mitigate their impact. By focusing on structural integrity, securing non-structural elements, preparing for aftermath scenarios, fostering community preparedness, and leveraging technology, we can significantly reduce the damage and disruption caused by seismic events.

Remember, earthquake preparedness is an ongoing process, not a one-time effort. Regular assessments, updates to your preparedness plans, and staying informed about the latest safety recommendations are all part of a comprehensive approach to minimizing earthquake damage.

As we continue to improve our understanding of seismic risks and develop new mitigation techniques, we move closer to a future where earthquakes, while still formidable natural events, no longer pose the catastrophic threat they once did.