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risk planning in construction projects
risk planning in construction projects
impact of disasters on economic development on developed countries
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua, is the country's political, commercial, and industrial center. However, the city is prone to frequent earthquakes and tremors due its very close proximity to the convergent plate boundary occurring only a few kilometres off the coast of Nicaragua: the Cocos plate slowly being subducted under the Caribbean plate (“Historic Earthquake”, 1972). This movement caused significant destruction to Managua in 1931, 1968 and 1972 when earthquakes of magnitudes 5.6, 4.5 and 6.2 on the Richter scale, respectively, rocked the capital city (“Historic Earthquake”, 1972).
One of most destructive earthquakes recorded above the equator in the western hemisphere was the earthquake of December 23, 1972 which struck Managua. The economic losses associated with this earthquake were very significant as 80% of the buildings in Managua were severely damaged and a shocking 10,000 deaths were declared (“Earthquake wreaks devastation in Nicaragua”, 1973). This loss was primarily attributed to several factors: strong seismic shaking due to the shallow focus of the earthquake, permanent ground displacement due to surface faulting, type of materials used to construct buildings, and other secondary factors.
Even though earthquakes and tremors occur frequently in Managua, the city was unprepared for the earthquake of 1972. No risk assessments had ever been performed for earthquake related damages even though it was known that earthquakes were frequent in Managua. In addition to this, the city did not have any warning systems in place or any practices in place to reduce the severity of the damage caused.
BACKGROUND
Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua, is located along the southern coast of Nicaragua at approximately 12°8′11″N 86°15′5″W as shown in Figure 2 (“Latitude and Longitude” 2014).
Tectonically, Managua sits on the southern boundary of the Caribbean plate, close to the boundary with the Cocos plate (“Historic Earthquake”, 1972). The convergent plate boundary movement of the Cocos plate in a north-eastwardly direction is slowly being subducted under the Caribbean plate at a rate of approximately 3 inches per year (Gunn, 2008). In addition, the Cocos and Caribbean plates are two of several plates forming the Ring of Fire: an area in the Pacific Ocean responsible for ninety percent of the total seismic and volcanic activity recorded each year (“Ring of Fire” 2012). The close proximity of Managua to the Cocos-Caribbean subduction zone along the Ring of Fire is known to be the cause of the frequent volcanic and seismic activity experienced by Managua.
Earthquakes are a natural part of the Earth’s evolution. Scientific evidence leads many geologists to believe that all of the land on Earth was at one point in time connected. Because of plate tectonic movements or earthquakes, continental drift occurred separating the one massive piece of land in to the seven major continents today. Further evidence supports this theory, starting with the Mid-Atlantic ridge, a large mass of plate tectonics, which are increasing the size of the Atlantic Ocean while shrinking the Pacific. Some scientists believe that the major plate moveme...
The west coast of the islands is on the edge of a continental shelf created by ancient volcanic movement (Broadhead 5) .This volcanic activity is due to plate tectonic movement which also created the numerous amounts of earthquakes on the island. Compared to the rest of British Columbia, Haida Gwaii has the most earthquake activity (Broadhead 5), the last of which being in a magnitude of 7.7 on t...
The science of the natural disaster has baffled many, but from studying the San Francisco earthquake, scientists have made a number of important discoveries and they have a better understanding of earthquakes. At 5:12 on a fateful April morning in 1906, the mammoth Pacific and North American plates sheared at an incredible twenty-one feet along the San Andreas fault, surpassing the annual average of two inches (“San Francisco Earthquake of 1906”)(“The Great 1906 Earthquake and Fires”). The shearing caused a loud rumble in the Californian city of San Francisco. A few seconds later, the destructive earthquake occurred. The ground shifted at almost five feet per second, and the shaking could be felt all the way from southern Oregon to southern Los Angeles to central Nevada (“Quick”)(“The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake”). Moreover, the earthquake could be recorded on a seismograph in Capetown, South Africa, an astounding 10,236 miles away from San Francisco (“San Francisco ea...
Earthquakes have been recorded throughout history for thousands of years. Even before seismographs in early times, there are records and accounts of mysterious ground shaking. Earthquakes occur when rocks break along an underground fault (UPSeis, 2007). This, in return, causes vibrations through the earth which causes ground shaking. The magnitude of the shaking varies depending on how great the movement along the fault is; the greater the movement, the bigger the earthquake. Some earthquakes are huge and cause significant damage, while others are small and cause little or no damage what-so-ever. Earthquakes are unpredictable, and can happen at any time. It is uncertain where an earthquake will strike, but there is a greater risk of an earthquake for areas lying on or near a fault. No one is ever prepared for an earthquake, so the people affected must face a sometimes terrifying reality and can be scarred for life. One country in particular that has been severely affected from an earthquake is Italy. Over a century ago Messina, a city located in Sicily, was to face one of the most devastating natural events of the century.
From studying the science behind the San Francisco earthquake, scientists have made a number of important discoveries involving how earthquakes function. At 5:12 on a fateful April morning in 1906, the mammoth Pacific and North American plates sheared each other at an incredible twenty-one feet along the San Andreas fault, surpassing the annual average of two inches (“San Francisco Earthquake of 1906”) (“The Great 1906 Earthquake and Fires”). A few seconds later, the destructive earthquake occurred. The ground shifted at almost five feet per second, and the shaking could be felt all the way from southern Oregon to southern Los Angeles to central Nevada (“Quick”) (“The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake”). In fact, the earthquake could be registered in a seismograph on Capetown, South Africa, an astounding 10,236 miles away...
Healy, J. H., Rubey, W. W., Griggs, D. T., & Raleigh, C. B. (1968, September). The Denver Earthquakes. Science, 161(3848), 1301-1310. Retrieved from JSTOR database.
Before I begin talking about earthquakes I should explain how earthquakes begin and their results. The movement of the earth plates are the ones that causes earthquakes. It occurs when plates meet along plate boundaries. When they move towards each other, one of the plates can be pushed down the bottom of the other plate, into the mantle. This is consider the subduction zone. When the plates gets stuck, it causes a lot of pressure on the surrounding rocks. The pressure will released and produce shock waves, they are called seismic waves and in other words, this will be called an earthquake. In this essay I will talk about the earthquake in Chile from 1962. I will speak how this earthquake affected the earth and the damages, not only to earth,
benchmark for the future, and integrated investigation into the effects of earthquakes in the U.S.
Mr. Adams describes the San Francisco earthquake as his most profound human suffering experience because the horror of shaking floors, parts of his mom’s house collapse to the floor, and got a broken nose from stumbling into a brick wall (Ansel Adams & The 1906 Earthquake 2008). Earthquakes are part of natural disasters of the earth and normally caused by shaking ground and rapid movement of one block of rock slipping past another a long fractures in the earth crust called faults. Faults that are usually locked excluding abrupt movements, which slippage creates an earthquake (Lutgens, F. & Tarbuck, E.
Earthquakes can be very dangerous but what matters the most is that everybody is safe, and that we need to work together. One earthquake, in the Philippines, was truly devastating. It was classified as a 7.2 magnitude. The Philippines responded very well by gathering their resources, spreading the word, and giving donations. They bounced back very quickly.
In 1910 a series of fifty-two earthquakes struck Arizona between September 10th-23rd and it caused much of the Flagstaff residents to flee the area as even strong households cracked and chimneys crumbled. The fifty-two earthquakes were all light-shock earthquakes with magnitudes between 4.0-4.2 that came right after another. If only one earthquake occurred in that timespan then it is likely that only objects would be knocked from shelves but no damage would be done to infrastructure, but the earthquakes happened right after another causing significant slight
Earthquake’s can be very destructive in many ways. “Collapsing buildings claim by far the majority of lives, but the destruction is often compounded by mud slides, fires, floods, or tsunamis”(National Geographic par.3). They can kill one person up to one hundred thousand people. Loss of life can be avoided through emergency planning, education, and the construction of buildings that sway rather than break under the stress of an earthquake.
Earthquakes happen about 20,000 times a year worldwide. They can destroy almost anything.In 2011, Japan had 9.1 magnitude earthquake, close to the highest magnitude of 9.2 in Alaska. They suffered tremendous damage from such a strong earthquake. The year before Haiti suffered from a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, still quite high compared to small tremors at magnitude 0-2. Japan recovered and rebuilt much faster than haiti did though. Haiti isn't even quite done recovering yet. The earthquakes had such different effects on the countries because of their economy, the condition of their people, and population rates.
The effects caused by earthquakes are devastating. They cause loss of human life and have effects on infrastructure and economy. Earthquakes can happen at any time anywhere. In January 12, 2010 an earthquake of a magnitude of 7.0 hit the nation of Haiti. An estimation of 316,000 people were killed, and more than 1.3 million Haitians were left homeless (Earthquake Information for 2010). Haiti was in a terrified chaos. After the earthquake, families were separated because many of the members were killed. Homes, schools, and hospitals were demolished. People lost their most valuable belongings. It will take time for the country to recover from this terrible disaster. The long damages are economic issues, health-state, and environmental issues that effect in the beautiful island of Haiti.
Earthquakes belong to the class of most disastrous natural hazards. They result in unexpected and tremendous earth movements. These movements results from dissemination of an enormous amount of intense energy in form of seismic waves which are detected by use of seismograms. The impact of earthquakes leaves behind several landmarks including: destruction of property, extensive disruption of services like sewer and water lines, loss of life, and causes instability in both economic and social components of the affected nation (Webcache 2).