Overview: How Do Earthquakes Affect The Area?

Earthquakes have many levels of severity because of magnitude, depth, and distance to the epicenter. It always gives some bad effects, whether it is mild or strong that people should understand the effects can bring damage. How do earthquakes affect the area?

The earthquake that occurs in a particular spot can bring damage and other types of disasters, such as tsunamis and landslides. These effects are dangerous and some people may not be able to predict during the critical time. To understand this disaster better, read here.

The Summary of How Do Earthquakes Affect The Area?

Ground Shaking

The biggest effect is ground shaking when it is happening. The bigger the magnitude, the stronger the shaking that may come more than once. It may last for a few seconds, and some aftershocks may follow in a few minutes.

When the shaking has high level of destruction, the buildings and public infrastructure are destroyed They can collapse and the destruction may be dangerous for the people around. Loss of lives and injuries are inevitable because of these effects. The simple protection may not work for some people during this time.

Besides collapsed buildings, how do earthquakes affect the area because of ground shaking? There is a possibility of landslides if the slope of the land is triggered. People who live in the mountainous area suffer from this effect after the earthquakes occur in their area.

Rupture and Displacements

Displacement and rupture because of the earthquakes commonly to happen after a big magnitude. The ground cracks may be visible, and they destroy the transportation or infrastructure. Damaged roads, railways, and bridges are dangerous to pass, and some people may ignore.

The area near the fault lines can be the most dangerous area because the shift is big. The government that plans to fix this should calculate well because the fault lines may displace again when there is another earthquake in the same area.

Landslides

Landslides are a serious case of how do earthquakes affect the area. When the epicenter is located in the mountainous area, the slope can be triggered because of shaking. Non-solid soil can be unstable and will go down to the lower area. Rockfalls are very dangerous during landslides in mountainous zones.

Thus, landslides blocks the route to the affected are and bury the lower ground. People cannot be evacuated easily once it occurs because the rescue team is not able to arrive as soon as possible. This secondary disaster also harms vegetation and ecosystems in general that animals lose their homes.

Tsunami

A tsunami is multiple waves that arrive at the shore after a big earthquake. It sweeps away the area that is the scariest aftermath of the earthquake. The destruction is severe that people should be displaces to other areas because they lose everything after the tsunami.

This wave will arrive after an earthquake with a big magnitude. Even though it is not always the case, the government in the country with this risk should be fully prepared. Tsunamis have always been tragic because the death toll is high. The process of recovery from tsunami also takes a long time with many parties involved.

One of the serious tsunamis that had ever occurred was Aceh Tsunami in 2004. The epicenter is in the Indian Ocean where the waves arrive in many countries such as Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, and Somalia. It should be a concern for areas in the Ring of Fire because this risk is high.

Displacement and Disruption

Displacement is common, but people may be in difficult situations for a long time. They lost their homes and everything, including their business. This disruption brings suffering for the victims. They do not know when to get their normal life back after a big earthquake in their area.

Business disruption also makes everything harder. People cannot work normally for a long time. They ended up stopping their business because of the earthquake. The recovery for the business is harder when they should be able to start from zero condition.

The government should calculate well how do earthquakes affect the area. It is very dangerous for people and other creatures. Using an SMS broadcaster device may improve the quality of protection since it sends the warning message to the public. Find out more about this device here.