More Econimically Developed Country (MEDC) - Japan, Kobe
The Great Hanshin earthquake, or Kobe earthquake, occurred on Tuesday, January 17, 1995, at 05:46 in the southern part of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It measured 6.8 on the magnitude scale, the tremors lasted for approximately 20 seconds. The focus of the earthquake was located 16 km beneath its epicenter, on the northern end of Awaji Island, 20 km away from the city of Kobe.
Approximately 6,434 people lost their lives (final estimate as of December 22, 2005); about 4,600 of them were from Kobe. Among major cities, Kobe, with its population of 1.5 million, was the closest to the epicenter and hit by the strongest tremors. This was Japan's worst earthquake in the 20th century after the Great Kantō earthquake in 1923. The Japanese earthquake was caused by the denser Philippine (oceanic) Plate sliding under the less dense Eurasian (continental) plate. The edges caught through friction and energy builds up. When it does finally move, all the energy is released at the focus which corresponds to the epicentre which is on the earth’s surface directly above.
Approximately 6,434 people lost their lives (final estimate as of December 22, 2005); about 4,600 of them were from Kobe. Among major cities, Kobe, with its population of 1.5 million, was the closest to the epicenter and hit by the strongest tremors. This was Japan's worst earthquake in the 20th century after the Great Kantō earthquake in 1923. The Japanese earthquake was caused by the denser Philippine (oceanic) Plate sliding under the less dense Eurasian (continental) plate. The edges caught through friction and energy builds up. When it does finally move, all the energy is released at the focus which corresponds to the epicentre which is on the earth’s surface directly above.
Envromental Impacts.
Other than the obvius destruction to infastructure and housing nuclear plants caused the biggest impact on Kobes enviroment. The explosions at the Fukushima nuclear plant (reactors one and three are the biggest problem of radiation as they have been hard to cool down) have hit headlines across the world with some predicting the next Chernobyl after a level 5 out of 7 was declared by the International Nuclear Event Scale. Japan gets around 10% of its energy from nuclear power and as a result many plants have been closed for safety checks. This has led to planned blackouts in cities such as Tokyo to conserve electricity. Nuclear fallouts have major consequences such as contamination of all food (as has happened near Fukushima), radiation sickness (as is suspected to befall the workers currently trying to cool the plant’s reactors and nearby residents, although there is an exclusion zone).
Other than the obvius destruction to infastructure and housing nuclear plants caused the biggest impact on Kobes enviroment. The explosions at the Fukushima nuclear plant (reactors one and three are the biggest problem of radiation as they have been hard to cool down) have hit headlines across the world with some predicting the next Chernobyl after a level 5 out of 7 was declared by the International Nuclear Event Scale. Japan gets around 10% of its energy from nuclear power and as a result many plants have been closed for safety checks. This has led to planned blackouts in cities such as Tokyo to conserve electricity. Nuclear fallouts have major consequences such as contamination of all food (as has happened near Fukushima), radiation sickness (as is suspected to befall the workers currently trying to cool the plant’s reactors and nearby residents, although there is an exclusion zone).
Economical Impacts.
The earthquake caused approximately ten trillion yen or $102.5 billion in damage, 2.5% of Japan's GDP at the time. Most of the
losses were uninsured, as only 3% of property in the Kobe area was covered by earthquake insurance, compared to 16% in Tokyo.
The quake ravaged many of the facilities of what was then the world's sixth-largest container port and the source of nearly 40% of Kobe's industrial output.
The sheer size of the earthquake caused a major decline in Japanese stock markets, discussions of Japan's "Lost Decade" tend towards purely economic analysis and neglect the impact of the earthquake on the Japanese economy which at the time was already suffering from recession.
Despite this devastation in a big production centre, the local economy recovered very quickly. Even though less than half the port facilities had been rebuilt by that stage, within a year import volumes through the port had recovered fully and export volumes were nearly back to where they would have been without the disaster. Less than 15 months after the earthquake, in March 1996, manufacturing activity in greater Kobe was at 98% of its projected pre-quake level.
The earthquake caused approximately ten trillion yen or $102.5 billion in damage, 2.5% of Japan's GDP at the time. Most of the
losses were uninsured, as only 3% of property in the Kobe area was covered by earthquake insurance, compared to 16% in Tokyo.
The quake ravaged many of the facilities of what was then the world's sixth-largest container port and the source of nearly 40% of Kobe's industrial output.
The sheer size of the earthquake caused a major decline in Japanese stock markets, discussions of Japan's "Lost Decade" tend towards purely economic analysis and neglect the impact of the earthquake on the Japanese economy which at the time was already suffering from recession.
Despite this devastation in a big production centre, the local economy recovered very quickly. Even though less than half the port facilities had been rebuilt by that stage, within a year import volumes through the port had recovered fully and export volumes were nearly back to where they would have been without the disaster. Less than 15 months after the earthquake, in March 1996, manufacturing activity in greater Kobe was at 98% of its projected pre-quake level.
Social Impacts.
The loss of life and destruction to homes devastesed many families and communities. A total of 68 children under the age of 18 were orphaned, while 332 additional children lost one parent. This figures had a huge impact on the social life of families and the wider communtiy of Kobe , Japan. Both the negative impacts on inastructure (enviroment) and the economics the standard of life post-earthquake would have dramatcally decreased. And with a lack of parenting and disjointed families crime would be seen to increase.
The loss of life and destruction to homes devastesed many families and communities. A total of 68 children under the age of 18 were orphaned, while 332 additional children lost one parent. This figures had a huge impact on the social life of families and the wider communtiy of Kobe , Japan. Both the negative impacts on inastructure (enviroment) and the economics the standard of life post-earthquake would have dramatcally decreased. And with a lack of parenting and disjointed families crime would be seen to increase.
Less economically developed country (LEDC) - Dominican rebuplic, Haiti
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 on the richetr scale earthquake. With an epicenter near the town of Leogane , approximately 25 km (16 miles) west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. co-ordinates of exact epicenter: 18.457°N 72.533°W
The island of Hispaniola, shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, is seismically active and has a history of destructive earthquakes.The quake occurred nearby the northern boundary where the Caribbean tectonic plate shifts eastwards by about 20 mm (0.79 inches) per year past the the North American plate. The strike-slip fault system in the region has two branches in Haiti, the 'Septentrional-Oriente' fault in the north and the 'Enriquillo-Plantain Garden' fault in the south. The 2010 quake was caused by a rupture of the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault, which had been locked for 250 years, gathering stress or pressure.
The island of Hispaniola, shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, is seismically active and has a history of destructive earthquakes.The quake occurred nearby the northern boundary where the Caribbean tectonic plate shifts eastwards by about 20 mm (0.79 inches) per year past the the North American plate. The strike-slip fault system in the region has two branches in Haiti, the 'Septentrional-Oriente' fault in the north and the 'Enriquillo-Plantain Garden' fault in the south. The 2010 quake was caused by a rupture of the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault, which had been locked for 250 years, gathering stress or pressure.
Environmental Impacts.
The main impact would be the overwhelming amount of loose debris and unwanted waste and rubble e.g. buildings, oil spills and dead bodies. The increasing death toll would mean the streets would become filled with rotting bodies which would bring nation wide disease epidemics. The resulting sanitation problems have brought disease like dysentery, malaria and drug-resistant tuberculosis among Haiti’s already poverty-stricken population. Trash-filled beaches, smelly waterways, swarms of dead fish and tons of floating debris that is already adds to Haiti’s water pollution problems — now is ever increased by the earthquake. The earlier deforestation in Haiti that has decreased forestry by at least 60% will make now be even harder to retain as all fertile land will be used as slums or will be cluttered with debris and will not be profitable.
The main impact would be the overwhelming amount of loose debris and unwanted waste and rubble e.g. buildings, oil spills and dead bodies. The increasing death toll would mean the streets would become filled with rotting bodies which would bring nation wide disease epidemics. The resulting sanitation problems have brought disease like dysentery, malaria and drug-resistant tuberculosis among Haiti’s already poverty-stricken population. Trash-filled beaches, smelly waterways, swarms of dead fish and tons of floating debris that is already adds to Haiti’s water pollution problems — now is ever increased by the earthquake. The earlier deforestation in Haiti that has decreased forestry by at least 60% will make now be even harder to retain as all fertile land will be used as slums or will be cluttered with debris and will not be profitable.
Economical Impacts.
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and is ranked 149th of 182 countries on the Human Development Index. The Australian government's travel advisory site had previously expressed concerns that Haitian emergency services would be unable to cope in the event of a major disaster. Due to the struggling economy of Haiti they where in no state to fund there own rebuild.The earthquake resulted in 105,000 homes being destroyed, causing $2.3 billion in damage and the nation being covered in rubble, this left the economy in shambles and the total damages of this tragedy have reached an estimated total of $7.8 billion solidifying the severity of the earthquake. The Haitian Government were forced to appeal for humanitarium aid.Many countries responded to the appeals and launched fund-raising efforts, as well as sending search and rescue teams.
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and is ranked 149th of 182 countries on the Human Development Index. The Australian government's travel advisory site had previously expressed concerns that Haitian emergency services would be unable to cope in the event of a major disaster. Due to the struggling economy of Haiti they where in no state to fund there own rebuild.The earthquake resulted in 105,000 homes being destroyed, causing $2.3 billion in damage and the nation being covered in rubble, this left the economy in shambles and the total damages of this tragedy have reached an estimated total of $7.8 billion solidifying the severity of the earthquake. The Haitian Government were forced to appeal for humanitarium aid.Many countries responded to the appeals and launched fund-raising efforts, as well as sending search and rescue teams.
Social Impacts.The earthquake struck in the most populated area of the country. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies estimated that as many as 3 million people had been affected by the quake. In mid February 2010, the Haitian government reported the death toll to have reached 230,000. On the first anniversary of the earthquake, 12 January 2011, Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive said the death toll from the quake was more than 316,000, raising the figures from previous estimates. This meant the the social lives of many people changed as families were corrupted and some were forced to migrate elsewhere as there homes where destroyed. Many lost there loved ones and older siblings were forced to take care of there younger siblings due to the loss of there parents. Many became homeless, Children became orphaned and some people were seriously mentally effected by the deaths of there family and friends; some that did survive the quake will never fully recover from their experienced trauma.
Comparison.
Overall we can under stand several differences when comparing the way MEDC's and LEDC's suffer or recover from tectonic hazards in this case earthquakes. Environmentally we can deffer that MEDC's effects on the natural world can be much more harmful and globally threatening than that as an LEDC effect. The destruction of nuclear plants is much more serious problem in MEDC's to control than that of minor water pollution and clutters of rubble/debris that face most LEDC's. Economically we can see how are MEDC's rebuild costs can cost more to fund than that of an LEDC (due to loss of technology and infastructure) MEDC's can usually bounce back to pre-quake levels within a thew years or more whereas the LEDC's have no chance of funding large scale recovery operations and economy's are left in a "shambles". Socially we can see that highly densely populated countries with weak infrastructure, poverty and poor emergency services(LEDC's) are less adequate to handle there many citizens. Where as in a MEDC families and citizens are managed with better provision of healthcare, further decrease the countries overall death toll. In summary we can see how all effects revolving earthquakes in an MEDC are handled allot better with accessible funds, while on the other hand LEDC's are impacted allot heavier due to there restriction of funding.
Overall we can under stand several differences when comparing the way MEDC's and LEDC's suffer or recover from tectonic hazards in this case earthquakes. Environmentally we can deffer that MEDC's effects on the natural world can be much more harmful and globally threatening than that as an LEDC effect. The destruction of nuclear plants is much more serious problem in MEDC's to control than that of minor water pollution and clutters of rubble/debris that face most LEDC's. Economically we can see how are MEDC's rebuild costs can cost more to fund than that of an LEDC (due to loss of technology and infastructure) MEDC's can usually bounce back to pre-quake levels within a thew years or more whereas the LEDC's have no chance of funding large scale recovery operations and economy's are left in a "shambles". Socially we can see that highly densely populated countries with weak infrastructure, poverty and poor emergency services(LEDC's) are less adequate to handle there many citizens. Where as in a MEDC families and citizens are managed with better provision of healthcare, further decrease the countries overall death toll. In summary we can see how all effects revolving earthquakes in an MEDC are handled allot better with accessible funds, while on the other hand LEDC's are impacted allot heavier due to there restriction of funding.