Eh, Earthquakes
Eh, Earthquakes
Comparing two Taiwanese Earthquakes leads to good news
On Wednesday a 7.2 Earthquake struck central Taiwan. Some of the images, like this one are striking:
But if we look back over just the last few decades, we'll see how modern society and advancements in seismic-resistant design and construction practices have better prepared us against the energy and destructive force of shifting tectonic plates.
Specifically, the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in the San Francisco Bay Area, the 1999 Jiji earthquake in Taiwan, and the 1999 Izmit (also known as the Kocaeli) earthquake in Turkey, all with magnitudes similar to Wednesday's quake, serve as examples.
The 1989 Loma Prieta quake in San Francisco (6.9 on the Richter scale) saw 63 deaths, 3,757 injuries and $6B in damage. In today’s dollars that’s between $20-25 BILLION.
Residential and commercial damages reaching $12 billion (again, in today’s dollars.)
Another ~$7 billion in transportation infrastructure
The collapse of the Cypress Street Viaduct and adjoining ports and harbors alone at ~$1.6B
Before and After images of the Cypress Street Viaduct Extending further to adjoining Santa Cruz County, and to include the damage to civic utilities like water, power, and telecommunications cost another over $4-5 billion.
This doesn’t mention business and tourism interruptions.
Similarly, the magnitude 7.6 Izmit quake struck northwestern Turkey on August 17, 1999. It had a magnitude of 7.6, and its damages are accentuated because of population density and building age around the Gulf of Izmit. In today’s dollars it is estimated as as high as $35 Billion dollars
Over 17K people lost their lives, and approximately 500,000 people were left homeless.
The then $20 billion loss in 1999 was ~5-6% of Turkey's GDP.
Damage to industrial facilities was estimated at $4 billion (nearly $7 billion today.)
Reconstruction costs for housing, transportation infrastructure, utilities etc. ran into the billions as well.
Finally, there’s the 7.6 Jiji quake which also struck Taiwan, back in 1999.
Nearly 2,500 people were killed.
Total economic loss was estimated around $9.2 billion USD.
Around 51,000 buildings were destroyed and another 53,000 buildings were severely damaged, requiring demolition or major repairs. The damage costs to residential buildings alone was estimated at $5.1 billion.
With industry, transport and agricultural damages at ~$3 billion.
Indirect economic losses from business interruptions, lost productivity, reduced tourism etc. added billions more.
Taiwan's economic growth slowed to just 5.4% in 1999, compared to over 6.5% the previous year, due to the earthquake's impacts.
And it’s early, but let’s look at what we know about the impact of Wednesday’s quake:
Nine people. NINE have been reported dead (though the toll could rise in the coming days.)
More than 1,000 were injured and at least 100 were feared trapped.
Yes, buildings were destroyed.
Yes, it’s early and the total economic impact hasn’t been gauged.
But there’s a progression here and a good one.
Earthqakes tell us a lot. They convey the dynamic power and energies of the Earth. They remind us of our own fragility. The clean-up and recovery buoys us with hope and lifts our spirits with the stories of hard work and resilience. They expose shortcomings in construction standards, and the danger of old buildings.
But even when we just look back at a quarter decade. What stands out is how as a society and a modern world, we learn, we adjust and we improve.
It’s a safer world out there. Even in building and cities. And even when earthquakes strike.
That’s good.
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But if we look back over just the last few decades I think we will see how modern society and advancements in seismic-resistant design / construction practices has steeled us (pun!) against the energy and destructive force of shifting tectonic plates.
Specifically the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in the San Francisco Bay Area, the 1999 Jiji earthquake in Taiwan, and the 1999 Izmit earthquake all of which are of similar magnitude to Wednesday’s.
The 1989 Loma Prieta quake in San Francisco saw 63 deaths, 3,757 injuries and $6B in damage, and that was only 6.9 on the Richter scale. In today’s dollars that’s between $20-25 BILLION.
We are talking about:
Residential and commercial damages reaching $12 billion (in today’s dollars.)
Another ~$7 billion in transportation infrastructure
The collapse of the Cypress Street Viaduct and adjoining ports and harbors alone at ~$1.6B
Extending further to adjoining Santa Cruz County, and to include the damage to civic utilities like water, power, and telecommunications cost another over $4-5 billion.
This doesn’t mention business and tourism interruptions.
Similarly, the magnitude 7.6 Izmit quake (also known as the Kocaeli Earthquake,) struck northwestern Turkey on August 17, 1999. It had a magnitude of 7.6 on the Richter scale and caused widespread destruction in the heavily populated and industrialized cities around the Gulf of Izmit. In today’s dollars it is estimated as as high as $35 Billion dollars
Over 17,000 people lost their lives, and approximately 500,000 people were left homeless.
The then $20 billion loss in 1999 amounted to around 5-6% of Turkey's GDP.
Damage to industrial facilities like factories and refineries alone was estimated at $4 billion in 1999, which translates to nearly $7 billion today.
Reconstruction costs for housing, transportation infrastructure, utilities etc. ran into the billions as well back then.Several major highways, bridges, and viaducts were damaged or rendered unusable, hampering rescue and relief efforts.
Finally, there’s the 7.6 Jiji quake destroyed over 100,000 buildings, killing 2,415 people after striking Taiwan also in 1999.
Total economic loss was estimated around $9.2 billion USD.
Around 51,000 buildings were destroyed and another 53,000 buildings were severely damaged, requiring demolition or major repairs. The damage costs to residential buildings alone was estimated at $5.1 billion.
With industry, transport and agricultural damages at ~$3 billion.
Indirect economic losses from business interruptions, lost productivity, reduced tourism etc. added billions more.
Taiwan's economic growth slowed to just 5.4% in 1999, compared to over 6.5% the previous year, due to the earthquake's impacts.
And it’s early, but let’s look at what we know about the impact of Wednesday’s quake:
Nine people. NINE have been reported dead (though the toll could rise in the coming days.)
More than 1,000 were injured and at least 100 were feared trapped.
Yes, buildings were destroyed.
Yes, it’s early and the total economic impact hasn’t been gauged.
But there’s a progression here and a good one.
Earthqakes tell us a lot. They convey the dynamic power and energies of the Earth. They remind us of our own fragility. The clean-up and recovery buoys us with hope and lifts our spirits with the stories of hard work and resilience. They expose shortcomings in construction standards, and the danger of old buildings.
But even when we just look back at a quarter decade. What stands out is how as a society and a modern world, we learn, we adjust and we improve.
It’s a safer world out there. Even in building and cities. And even when earthquakes strike.
That’s good.