Disaster Recovery News

Photo by hansol

Humboldt State’s geology department is raising awareness about the frequency and danger of tsunamis and earthquakes, which are known as a “natural warning”. Knowing what to do in the event of a tsunami can help avoid a repeat of the 2004 tsunami where 200,000 people lost their lives.

Humboldt State is trying to educate the public by letting them know that tsunamis are just as dangerous as earthquakes. Booklets were placed in the Sunday papers of Northern California counties, but the information can also be found online.

The article from PressDemocrat.com reports rangers, air patrol planes, emergency first responders, and radio and TV warning will be given, in addition to the natural warnings, to let the public know about the impending danger. The report also provides examples of when tsunamis have hit U.S. ground.

More on this story.
Tips for preparing for a disaster like tsunami or water damage include:

• Strengthen your home before the next disaster and make and necessary repairs. This includes making repairs to a building’s foundation.
• Make sure you are covered, insurance-wise.
• Make an emergency preparedness plan that includes children and people with special needs.
• Plan and know area tsunami evacuation routes.
• Protect personal belongings. Anchor bookshelves, water heaters, wood burning stoves, and propane tanks.

After a tsunami, one needs to check their home and business for water damage. Water damage needs to be dried and remediated immediately to prevent mold damage.

Water damage in the cold winter months can damage property even more. Learn how to prepare for winter weather.

"Fault lines from helicopter" by Wharman"

Scientists recently discovered that many recent earthquakes felt in the Midwestern states of the U.S. are really the aftershocks of large-scale earthquakes from centuries ago. The earthquakes on the West Coast, however, may be the aftershocks of earthquakes only dating back a decade or so.

Scientist Mian Liu explains in ScienceDaily.com: “Aftershocks happen after a big earthquake because the movement on the fault changed the forces in the earth that act on the fault itself and nearby. Aftershocks go on until the fault recovers, which takes much longer in the middle of a continent.”

The article goes on to explain:

“The two sides of the San Andreas fault move past each other at a speed of about one and a half inches in a year — which is fast on a geologic time scale. This motion ‘reloads’ the fault by swamping the small changes caused by the last big earthquake, so aftershocks are suppressed after about 10 years. The New Madrid faults, however, move more than 100 times more slowly, so it takes hundreds of years to swamp the effects of a big earthquake.”

This recent discovery about earthquakes will help geologists map where the earth is storing a lot of seismic energy so they can better predict when big quakes will hit. Find out more at ScienceDaily.com.

There are many steps one can take before, during, and after an earthquake. These natural disasters can cause secondary disasters to happen like fires and water damage from broken pipes. Learn more about recovering after a natural disaster.