Urban Destruction from Earthquakes

In the wake of today's news that a magnitude 8.8 earthquake hit Chile, I found this image, published on Feb. 25th in The New York Times, even more interesting than the first time I analyzed it. Many of you may know that I am slightly obsessed with earthquakes and earthquake preparedness, especially now that we live in a seismic zone here in Casa Cali.

In the map above (created before the disastrous quake that hit Haiti last month), you can see the cities predicted to suffer major damage in an earthquake due to shoddy construction. There is, not surprisingly, a strong correlation with poverty and a lack of enforced building codes (the latter a sign of functional, organized government).

Port-au-Prince made it on the map, but in my opinion the prediction was conservative given what we now know as the utter devastation that occurred in that city. Obviously earthquake prediction isn't an exact science, so all the circles should be taken with a grain of salt.

That said, I find it extremely interesting that none of the Chilean cities made it to the map. Chile is a very seismic country, having registered the largest earthquake in registered history (magnitude 9.5 in 1960) as well as now the 7th-largest as well (tied with a 1906 quake off the coast of Ecuador). I know that Santiago's modern buildings are all constructed according to strict earthquake retrofitting guidelines, but the older buildings are not. Hopefully the map's predictions will ring true in this instance and Chile will be spared the massive loss of human life that one might expect with an 8.8 quake.

I also find it intriguing that other prime urban areas prone to big quakes aren't on the map, namely Mexico City, Los Angeles and San Francisco. An oversight, or a bit of encouragement??

Haiti

School is great - I'm really enjoying it despite sore hands from hard-to-bend wire I'm fashioning into a baobab tree - but all I can think about is Haiti.

I've donated to relief efforts and I'm praying, but that seems like such a small drop in the bucket of the help - both physical and spiritual - that Haitians, residents of Haiti and all of their loved ones need right now.

You can donate $5 through Wyclef Jean's foundation by texting YELE to 501 501. You can also donate via the Red Cross and multiple other relief organizations and NGOs that work on the ground in Haiti.

This is a good reminder to make sure you are ready for a potential earthquake if you live in an area of seismic activity. I'm going to review the earthquake preparedness manual I picked up at Home Depot the week we moved here to be sure we aren't overlooking anything major and that our preparedness kits are updated and complete.

Remember, the safest place in an earthquake is underneath a sturdy desk or table. There are reports of a Brazilian who survived the Haiti quake because she was under a table - everything else around her collapsed. If you are in bed when a quake hits, hang on to the bedpost or bed frame and try to cover your head with a pillow. If you are driving, try to pull over and set the parking break. If you are in a theater, stadium or other public building, don't panic and don't try to leave until the shaking has stopped. As counter-intuitive as it seems, the safest thing is not go outside your home or any other building until the shaking has stopped.

This is part of the reality of living in Casa Cali. All we can hope for is that we are prepared and lucky.

God bless Haiti and all those affected by this disaster.