The
Domino Effect: Being Prepared for Local Consequences of Global Natural
Disasters
Environmental
Studies – PHS 100A
Warner
Pacific Colllege
October
31, 2011
Science continues to make the world
smaller. Events that might have
been seen as isolated catastrophes hundreds of years ago now can be correlated
to events that happen all over the globe.
This can be exemplified in the chain of events that happen around the
ring of fire. Tectonic plate
movement around the Pacific Rim causes energy to build and release. The result is that communities that live
around this plate are the most susceptible to earthquakes, tsunamis, and
volcanoes. (Withcott Brennan,
p.41, 2011) It is imperative for
Oregonians to be aware of the cause and effect of events that occur around the
ring of fire.
On March 11, 2011, the USGS reported a 9.0
earthquake off the coast of Japan.
The result for their country was over 15,000 killed, 4600 missing, and
hundreds of thousands displaced.
In addition, the economic loss was at least 309 billion dollars. (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqinthenews/2011/usc0001xgp/#summary,
2011) The loss was truly
tragic. On the other side of the
world, however, the Oregon and California coast also sustained damage as a
result of a tsunami that occurred because of the earthquake. Tsunamis often are a result of the
energy released from the seismic activity of an earthquake. The energy displaced from the
earthquake creates a swell that can move across thousands of miles of ocean. (Withcott Brennan, p.44, 2011) This is exactly what happened on the
west coast of the United States.
Although the damage from the earthquake was in
no way comparable in America as it was in Japan, the lesson of correlative
weather and seismic activity needs to be noted. In Brookings, Oregon the port manager, Ted Fitzgerald, reported
over ten million dollars in damage.
Furthermore, reports of piling and debris washing up all over the Oregon
coast resulted in hundreds or thousands of dollars in damage in coastal
communities. (http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2011/03/oregon_coast_tsunami_brookings_crescent_city_depoe_bay_report_serious_damage_photos_video.html,
2011) Both for the sake of
humanity as well as the economic security of the community we must acknowledge
our vulnerability to natural disaster and be prepared when it strikes.
It is noteworthy to discover in a city such as
Seaside, Oregon, a popular center of tourism, fishing, and other commerce that
there aren’t more measures in place to react to a tsunami. A check of the city of Seaside website
notes that their tsunami warning system would have “content added soon.” (http://www.cityofseaside.us/community/tsunami-warning-system,
2011) With a little more research
you will find a pamphlet that gives simple instructions to prepare for an
evacuation. Inside the brochure
there is large print that instructs you to move immediately inland if you feel
an earthquake. It also
differentiates between a local tsunami that requires immediate evacuation in
comparison to a distant tsunami that may take up to four hours to strike and
will be indicated with an official warning by siren. (http://www.cityofseaside.us/sites/default/files/file/Tsunami%20Evacuation%20Map10.pdf,
2011)
Beyond the power of local government, we do
have the ability to be more prepared for the consequences of tsunamis. Much of the measurement of seismic
activity is run by Oregon State University and the University of Oregon geology
departments. These departments
report seismic activity and even have websites such as the opdr.uoregon.edu
disaster resistance site. These
are the first reporters when geologic activity that could result in disaster
occurs. By
using science we not only understand the power of natural disaster, we also
prepare for it.
References
Withcott, J Brennan, S (2011) Environment, The Science Behind the Stories pp.
41, 44 Benjamin Cummings, Boston
(2011) Magnitude
9.0 – NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU JAPAN, retrieved from http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqinthenews/2011/usc0001xgp/#summary, October 29, 2011
(2011)
Oregon Coast Tsunami: Brookings, Crescent
City, Depoe Bay Report Serious Damage, March, 11, 2011, retrieved from http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2011/03/oregon_coast_tsunami_brookings_crescent_city_depoe_bay_report_serious_damage_photos_video.html, October 29, 2011
(2011) Seaside
Tsunami Warning System retrieved from http://www.cityofseaside.us/community/tsunami-warning-system, October 27, 2011
(2011) Tsunami
Evacuation Map: Seaside, retrieved from http://www.cityofseaside.us/sites/default/files/file/Tsunami%20Evacuation%20Map10.pdf, October 27, 2011
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