Temperatures in the mountainous Tibetan plateau 5 km above sea level can reach minus six degrees at night, so the government quickly arranged to send five thousand tents and fifty thousand blankets for the homeless

survivors.

The government allocated $30 million for relief and mobilized more than 5,000 soldiers, medical workers and other rescue workers to join with 700 troops already on

the ground.

TAIWAN: APRIL 26, 2010

APRIL 26, 2010

M6.5 EARTHQUAKE AND 3- DAYS OF RAIN CREATE

CONDITIONS FOR LANDSLIDES

LANDSLIDE

LANDSLIDE

SEARCH AND RESCUE

INDONESIA’S TRIPLE DISASTER STARTED WITH EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI ON OCTOER 25,

2010

October 25-27 – November 24, 2010

A M7.7 EARTHQUAKE, A 3 M-TSUNAMI-WAVE RUN UP, AND A LONG

ERUPTION OF MOUNT MERAPI CAUSED LOSSES IN THE TENS OF

MILLIONS, DISPLACED OVER 340,000, KILLING NEARLY 1,000 , AND

POTENTIALLY AFFECTING THE HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR

THOUSANDS,

INDONESIA HAS MORE THAN 17,000 ISLANDS

Sandwiched between two active earthquake belts, the Pacific “Ring of fire,” and the Alpide Belt, Indonesia experiences some of the most powerful earthquakes and volcanic

eruptions on Earth.

Indonesia is home to 129 active volcanoes, with the two most active

ones — Mount Kelut and Mount Merapi — located on the island of

Java, which also contains the Indonesian capital of Jakarta,

roughly 500 km (300 mi) northwest of them.

INDONESIA’S 129 ACTVE VOLCANOES (MOUNT MERAPI IS BOTTOM LEFT CENTER)

Monday and Tuesday: Oct 25-26

Indonesia endured two days of environmental extremes after a powerful earthquake, a tsunami,

and a volcanic eruption struck the Java region of the Indonesian

archipelago.

CASUALTIES: 538 ON OCT 26, BUT TOLL LIKELY TO RISE IN THE

FUTURE

The earthquake and tsunami run up left at least 500 dead, and the initial volcanic eruption left 38 dead, BUT,

health impacts associated with Mount Merapi’s continuing eruption

may have long-term impacts.

THE M7.7 EARTHQUAKE

Early response was hindered by twenty-two aftershocks

ranging from M5- 6.2

TECTONICS OF THE REGION

• The Australian and Eurasian plates meet in Indonesia, creating a tectonic setting favorable for generating earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions.

TECTONICS OF THE REGION (Continued)

• The Australian plate is moving northward and being subducted under the Eurasian plate in a zone marked by a submarine trench that can be traced from the northern tip of Sumatra to the Lesser Islands.

SUBDUCTION ZONE SUBDUCTION ZONE

SEISMICITY MARKS THE PLATE BOUNDARIES

THE TSUNAMI

RESPONSE WAS EXACERBATED BY REMOTENESS OF THE

ISLANDS

INDONESIA: LOCATION OF HISTORICAL TSUNAMIS

INDONESIA: LOCATION OF HISTORICAL TSUNAMIS

The M7.7 earthquake generated a near-source tsunami with 3 m (10 ft) waves that struck within 5 minutes

after the quake---so quickly that the regional tsunami warning system

that was improved after the December 26, 2004 tsunami disaster, was ineffective..

The tsunami, triggered by the 7.7-magnitude undersea quake, hit the Mentawai Islands late Monday,

leaving thousands homeless, killing at least 500 people, and sweeping hundreds out to sea.

TSUNAMI WAVE RUN UP IN MENTAWAI ISLAND

TSUNAMI WAVE RUN UP IN MENTAWAI ISLAND

MENTAWAI ISLAND: MANY SWEPT OUT TO SEA

MENTAWAI ISLAND: MANY SWEPT OUT TO SEA

SEARCH AND RESCUE HINDERED BY POOR COMMUNICATIONS

SEARCH AND RESCUE HINDERED BY POOR COMMUNICATIONS

KNOWING WHERE, WHEN, AND WHY A TSUNAMI OCCURS IS A VITAL PART OF THE ART

AND SCIENCE OF INTELLIGENT RISK REDUCTION.

Tsunamis Are Associated with Subduction Zone Earthquakes

• M7 or larger earthquakes that occur in oceanic subduction zones can cause:

Tsunamis

A TSUNAMI WAVE CAN REACH 10 M OR MORE IN HEIGHT

A TSUNAMI WAVE CAN REACH 10 M OR MORE IN HEIGHT

TSUNAMI HAZARDS (AKA POTENTIAL DISASTER AGENTS)

• HIGH-VELOCITY, LONG-PERIOD WATER WAVES

• WAVE RUNUP • FLOODING• WAVE RETREAT• SHORELINE EROSION

HIGH VELOCITY IMPACT OF INCOMING WAVES

TSUNAMIS TSUNAMIS

INLAND DISTANCE OF WAVE RUNUP

VERTICAL HEIGHT OF WAVE RUNUP

INADEQUATE RESISTANCE OF BUILDINGS

FLOODING

INADEQUATE HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL EVACUATION

PROXIMITY TO SOURCE OF TSUNAMI

CAUSES OF DAMAGE

CAUSES OF DAMAGE

“DISASTER LABORATORIES”

“DISASTER LABORATORIES”

THE ART AND SCIENCE OF KNOWING WHEN TO EVACUATE

BEFORE A TSUNAMI WAVE ARRIVES AND WHERE TO GO

CAN BE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH.

YOU CAN’T OUTRUN OR DIVERT10-M-HIGH, DEBRIS-LADEN,

OCEAN WAVES THAT ARRIVE WITH A HIGH VELOCITY (E.G., 30 TO 300 KM/HR) AND MOVE

INLAND FOR 2-3 KM, OR MORE

DECEMBER 21, 2010

M6.5 EARTHQUAKE STRIKES SOUTHEASTERN

IRAN

The M6.5 earthquake, centered near the location of the 2003 Bam quake in southeastern Iran, killed at least 11,

damaged 1,800 homes, downed phone lines, and triggered landslides.

Almost exactly seven years ago in the same region, a M6.6 earthquake

struck the nearby city of Bam, killing more than 25,000 people and

destroying a medieval castle that was one of Iran's most treasured

archaeological sites.

TSUNAMI WARNING ISSUED, THEN WITHDRAWN

DECEMBER 25, 2010

M7.2 EARTHQUAKE STRIKES VANUATU

VANUATU