A Comparison of The Effects and Management of Earthquakes in Countries of Differing Levels of Economic Development

Conclusion

From the two case studies above you can see that the management and effects of earthquakes can significantly differ in places with differing levels of economic development. In Taiwan, the search operations were well managed, with support from all over the globe being utilised well, and volunteers being drafted equally to different parts of the country, where they could be used as needed, and not wasted. The fact that the firemen had all had good and extensive training meant that many lives were saved. However the fact that the volunteers were not trained, and had not had much experience dealing with earthquakes meant that the rescue operation was not as successful as it could have been, but this problem could be relatively easy to resolve with training. In Turkey, the earthquake was not well managed; people were unorganised, leading to loss of life but with government help this may be resolved. The inefficiency on the health department’s side was devastating, but this however may not be as easy to solve. Preventing the spread of infection would mean a lot more funding to pay for sterilising equipment, and more resources, such as more hospitals with ERs or more clinics that could open if needed to help with the minor injuries in a nicer environment. In more developed countries, there is more money to spend of mitigation and preparation, for example in Turkey, there was warning before the earthquake, because the government and seismologists were monitoring it so closely. In Turkey however there was no warning, and a lot of people were inside sleeping, unaware of the danger. In more economically developed countries more money and resources can go into preparing for an earthquake, such as reinforcing housing structures, and setting in place a better rescue service, with people more likely to know about and abide by the emergency plans. Most of the difference comes down to monetary needs; the housing, structural designs, medical attention and plans.

However what we must remember is that there were significant unavoidable differences for both earthquakes. The Turkish epicentre was in the middle of the city, in an industrial area. This caused greater loss of life, because the waves would have been felt stronger. Due to the early hour in the morning, most people were inside their houses sleeping; this means that they were more likely to be killed by the building collapsing. In Taiwan however the epicentre was outside the city, and people were up and about on the streets, meaning that when the buildings collapsed there were less of them which collapsed on top of people.

In conclusion, if an earthquake is going to happen, you would be much better off if you were in a more economically developed country.