Earthquake occurs due to disturbance in the tectonic plates that lie under the surface of Earth. Earthquakes may be brief and mild or big and destructive. Our planet has suffered several severe and mild earthquakes since centuries. Earthquakes are mostly brief but can cause mass destruction within seconds. People around the world have suffered immensely due to earthquakes in the past. Earthquakes occur suddenly, usually without any warning signs, and can cause huge destruction. Though there is a separate branch of science referred to as seismology that study about earthquakes and tries to predicts their occurrence however, it doesn’t help in determining the exact time or date of this natural calamity. Scientists around the world constantly try to predict the occurrence of earthquakes. While seismology department does warn against Earthquake in certain areas in future however it is unable to find out as to when exactly it would occur. The extent of destruction and harm caused by an earthquake depends on:
• magnitude
• intensity and duration
• the local geology
• the time of day that it occurs
• building and industrial plant design and materials
• the risk-management measures put in place.
Between 1998 to 2022, earthquakes caused nearly 9 lac deaths globally, more than half of all deaths related to natural disasters. More than 150 million people were affected by earthquakes during this time period, meaning they were injured, made homeless, displaced or evacuated during the emergency phase of the disaster. Earth’s major earthquakes occur mainly in belts coinciding with the margins of tectonic plates. This has long been apparent from early catalogs of felt earthquakes and is even more readily discernible in modern seismicity maps, which show instrumentally determined epicenters. The most important earthquake belt is the Circum-Pacific Belt, which affects many populated coastal regions around the Pacific Ocean—for example, those of New Zealand, New Guinea, Japan, the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, and the western coasts of North and South America. It is estimated that 80 percent of the energy presently released in earthquakes comes from those whose epicenters are in this belt. The seismic activity is by no means uniform throughout the belt, and there are a number of branches at various points. Because at many places the Circum-Pacific Belt is associated with volcanic activity, it has been popularly dubbed the “Pacific Ring of Fire.”
Collectively, the earthquakes are estimated to have caused US$84.1 billion in damages, making them the fourth-costliest earthquakes on record. It is the deadliest natural disaster in Turkey’s modern history. Damaged roads, winter storms, and disruption to communications have hampered the national disaster agency AFAD’s rescue and relief effort, which included a 60,000-strong search-and-rescue force, 5,000 health workers and 30,000 volunteers. Following Turkey’s call for international help, more than 141,000 people from 94 countries joined the rescue effort.
Recent Earthquake of Turkey and Syria:
On 6 February 2023, at 04:17 TRT (01:17 UTC), a Mw 7.8 earthquake struck southern and central Turkey and northern and western Syria. The epicenter was 32 km west–northwest of Gaziantep. This earthquake was centered 95 km to the north-northeast from the first, in Kahramanmaraş Province. There was widespread damage and tens of thousands of fatalities. The 7.8 earthquake was the strongest to occur in Turkey since the 1939 Erzincan earthquake of the same magnitude, and jointly the second-strongest recorded in the country, after the 1668 North Anatolia earthquake. It was also one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded in the Levant. It was felt as far as Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Cyprus, and the Black Sea coast of Turkey. The earthquakes were followed by more than 2,100 aftershocks. The seismic sequence was the result of shallow strike-slip faulting. There was widespread damage in an area .An estimated 14 million people, or 16 percent of Turkey’s population, were affected. Development experts from the United Nations estimated that about 1.5 million people were left homeless. As of 1 March 2023, more than 53,500 deaths were confirmed: more than 45,000 in Turkey, and more than 8,400 in Syria. It is the deadliest earthquake in Turkey since the 526 Antioch earthquake and the deadliest in Syria since the 1822 Aleppo earthquake. It was the deadliest worldwide since the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and the fifth-deadliest of the 21st century. Collectively, the earthquakes are estimated to have caused US$84.1 billion in damages, making them the fourth-costliest earthquakes on record. It is the deadliest natural disaster in Turkey’s modern history. Damaged roads, winter storms, and disruption to communications have hampered the national disaster agency AFAD’s rescue and relief effort, which included a 60,000-strong search-and-rescue force, 5,000 health workers and 30,000 volunteers. Following Turkey’s call for international help, more than 141,000 people from 94 countries joined the rescue effort.
So, what we need to do before, during and after an earthquake:
Before:
• Prepare for a probable earthquake by creating a family plan that includes how to contact each other and where to meet.
• Learn how to act in the case of an earthquake by participating in simulations in your community/workplace/school.
• Talk to your children about what to do if there is an earthquake, and especially, what to do if they are alone when one occurs.
• Locate the safest places in your home/workplace/school to take shelter in an earthquake, and identify evacuation routes.
• Keep emergency telephone numbers close at hand (civil defense, ambulance, hospitals, fire department, police, etc.).
• Make sure you have sufficient emergency supplies, including clean water, non-perishable foods, prescription drugs, first aid kit, batteries, radio, and food for pets. Keep important documents such as passports or identity documents with you.
• Prepare an emergency backpack/kit in case you have to evacuate the area.
• If there is a pregnant woman in the family, prepare a pregnancy kit with medical documents, medicines, and other things that might be necessary if she is hospitalized for delivery or any complication.
During:
• Stay calm and, if necessary, help calm the people who are with you.
• Stay away from windows and from objects that could fall, such as loose electrical wires.
• Go to a safe place and take a protective position next to a wall or solid piece of furniture.
• If you need to evacuate, use stairs, not elevators. Go to a safe area.
• Follow the instructions of civil defense officials and other authorities.
• If you are trapped, try to strike a metal object to make noise.
• If you are on a public street or road, move away from utility poles, cables, and high buildings
After:
• Check the condition of your dwelling. If you consider it unsafe, notify the authorities and go to a temporary shelter, or stay with acquaintances or family members.
• Consult official sources to get the most up-to-date information.
• Be careful with electrical currents, propane/natural gas lines, and sources of chemical hazards.
• Help your family members and community by offering messages of support and encouragement.
(The author is a teacher at Govt. High School Brakpora Anantnag. The views, opinions, facts, assumptions, presumptions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”.)
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