Comparison of the preparation for earthquakes and tsunamis by different regions and the implications for cost and casualties

Abstract

Some regions are better prepared than others for seismic disasters, specifically regions that are more developed and are more experienced with them, which results in mitigation of the loss of life that is caused by these disasters. While they are almost impossible to predict when earthquakes will occur, it is known that that they will occur at some point, and it is necessary to plan for these eventual disasters just as regions plan for meteorological hazards. By analyzing different regions of the world, this research compared how deadly earthquakes can be in some regions compared to others. Specifically, this research compared the impact of these disasters in developing nations compared to developed nations and analyze how the frequency and intensity of these disasters affect the preparation of local and national authorities. To perform this analysis, data was gathered on earthquakes from the United States Geological Survey. The USGS publishes data archives on earthquakes, making it possible to download earthquake data for a specified region during a specified time. Tabular data earthquakes that have occurred in four study sites - California, Japan, Haiti, and Indonesia - was downloaded and was converted to be spatially analyzed in ArcGIS, and was also analyzed statistically. This data was compared to economic development. This was followed by analysis and discussion of how well prepared each study site is for earthquakes and tsunamis. It is clear that, of the four study sites, Japan is the best prepared, followed by California. These regions have similar economic development, but Japan is more experienced with earthquakes, and thus they are better prepared. Indonesia and Haiti were poorly prepared due to poor economic development, with Haiti being the poorest, least experienced, and the worst prepared for earthquakes.