Natural Hazards: Causes and Effects - Disaster Management Center ...

In all emergency activities it is of prime importance that information for the public about what
they should do and where they can go for services be immediately available and accurate, and
that decision-makers act according to priorities.
Earthquake Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Recovery
At the end of the emergency period, a transition to long-term recovery occurs. Local authorities
should concentrate their assistance in the following areas:
• repair and reconstruction of “lifelines,” i.e. water, sewer, electrical services and roads;
• technical, material and financial assistance for the repair and reconstruction of housing and
public buildings;
• economic programs that create jobs to help rejuvenate the economy;
• financial assistance to survivors, including lines of credit and assistance to businesses,
enabling them to participate in recovery efforts.
Internal donors will be able to provide assistance in all of these same activities. The most costeffective
support they can provide is technical and financial assistance. 16
Myths and Lessons from Past Disasters
The study of geology, specifically the nature and causes of earthquakes, has been relatively
recent. It is, therefore, understandable that people throughout history have created their own
explanations for the occurrence of earthquakes.
Frequently, traditional cultures believe that earthquakes are caused by a god. They believe
their god uses an earthquake to express displeasure for some fault or sin of the community.
Other people claim there is a correlation between earthquakes and weather patterns. More
current speculation has suggested that the explosion of nuclear bombs provokes earthquakes.
These misconceptions, in turn, affect what people think they can do about earthquakes. For
example, they may simply resign themselves to suffer the “act of God” if that is God’s intention.
Examining past earthquakes has, of course, demonstrated many lessons:
• Because people often assume there is nothing they can do to avoid the impact or destruction
of an earthquake, there is a tendency for survivors to reconstruct buildings in the same
manner (and with the same degree of danger) as the pre-disaster buildings.
• Designs that affect reconstruction planning are usually made in the first month following the
earthquake. This means that technical assistance and improvements must be provided soon
after the quake in order to have an effect.
• Most survivors will build an emergency shelter from the rubble of their house. They prefer
these shelters to tents because the makeshift houses provide more protection and serve as a
means of protecting recoverable building materials.
• Earthquakes and the threat of continuing tremors rarely are sufficient reason to evacuate an
affected area.
• Health threats in the aftermath are grossly exaggerated. Communicable diseases almost
never “break out” unless people are forced to evacuate an area and move into camps.
• Reconstruction always takes longer than estimated. Full recovery may take 10 years or
more.
Earth scientists are placing a high priority on earthquake prediction. They are even
investigating methods of earthquake prevention. In the meantime it is the disaster manager’s
role to implement programs that will avoid human and property losses from earthquakes or to
minimize their impact when they do strike.