Displaying items by tag: earthquake

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered humanitarian assistance, via the Red Cross, to the victims of a devastating 7.3 magnitude earthquake that killed hundreds in Iran and Iraq on 13 November. He was immediately refused. Netanyahu said Israel has no quarrel with the people of Iran; the quarrel is with the regime that threatens Israel’s destruction. Meanwhile tens of thousands of Iranians are living in the open, after homes built with earth were totally destroyed. The terrain is mountainous, and the temperature is dropping. The head of the Revolutionary Guards, Major General Jafari, said the immediate need was for tents, water and food. Pray for this crucial aid to reach the inaccessible areas as helicopters and army vehicles are mobilised. Pray for clear communication between agencies organising search and rescue operations and relief camps. Pray for those in hospitals, and those in mourning. See also

In April 2015 the worst earthquake for eighty years hit Nepal, killing 8,891 people, injuring 22,300, and destroying or damaging over 893,000 homes, as well as schools, clinics and ancient buildings. 8.1 million people were affected. The rural areas (often remote and mountainous, and already poor) were hit hardest. After the earthquake the government published a vision for ‘well-planned resilient settlements and a prosperous society’. But it has fallen short of that goal because of poor coordination between government and donors, poor understanding of local concerns, and a lack of civic engagement. Two years on, barely 5% of destroyed houses have been rebuilt, and 800,000 families still have no homes. It is still a disaster area where people face another hard winter.

Rescue workers, backed by an army of untrained volunteers, are still searching for survivors buried under mounds of rubble in Mexico City. The death toll from the magnitude 7 earthquake, on 19 September, has reached 237 and is expected to rise. 44 buildings collapsed completely, and thousands are damaged and unstable, in the sprawling city built on a drained lakebed. As  rescuers work against the clock, there has been an outpouring of civic generosity. Thousands of people donated time and medicines, food and water, blankets and basic supplies, to help relief efforts. Restaurants delivered food to shelters where thousands of people were forced to seek refuge after their homes were damaged. But there is concern about the need to rely on civilian volunteers and donations, and the slow arrival of government rescue services to some poorer neighbourhoods. Many questions about building regulations resurfaced as rescue efforts continue. See the next article.

19 September was the 32nd anniversary of a hiuge earthquake in Mexico which resulted in thousands of deaths and many large buildings destroyed. This week’s quake demolished old buildings and less solidly-constructed new buildings. The cure for earthquake devastation is well known: fix the old buildings and improve construction methods for new ones. A complex and expensive decision, but necessary as Mexico City is notoriously vulnerable to earthquakes due to very soft and wet ground underneath. This amplifies the shaking, making the ground like jelly and prone to liquefaction. There have been 34 earthquakes bigger than magnitude 7 within 300 miles of Mexico City since 1900. There is clearly more work to do. Rodolfo Soriano Nuñez, a sociologist and independent public policy analyst, said that government new building codes are not working. ‘We see new buildings have collapsed while older ones have survived.’