Case study of earthquake in a rich part of the world

Question 1

Earthquake, magnitude and number of deaths?

Answer 1

Kobe, Japan, 1995
7.2 on Richter scale
6,300 deaths
300,000 homeless

Question 2

Causes

Answer 2

Oceanic Philippines plate sinks beneath Continental Eurasian plate (subduction at a destructive plate boundary)

Question 3

Primary effects

Answer 3

• 200,000 buildings collapsed
• Hanshin Expressway (main elevated motorway) collapsed
• All 3 railway links to outside cities destroyed

Question 4

Immediate responses

Answer 4

• people evacuated into temporary shelters, rescue teams went out, medical aid centers set up
• army was mobilized (bit late)

Question 5

Secondary effects

Answer 5

• electricity, gas and plumbing systems shut down
• 7,500 houses destroyed by fires
• 180,000 houses destroyed in total

Question 6

Long term responses

Answer 6

• more instruments to measure seismic activity, earthquake resistant shelters made, new houses had to have more earthquake resistance
• jobs created in construction industry
• by January 1999, 134,000 housing units were constucted