https://theprogressnetwork.org/earthquake-preparedness-progress/
"Here at
The Progress Network, the recent megafloods in Texas have got us
thinking again about how underdiscussed aspects of disaster preparedness, such
as early warning systems, spell the difference between life and death.
Whether you survive an earthquake or not, for instance, has less to do with
luck and more to do with how much a place has invested in preparing for one.
Such investments see dramatic returns in lives saved. A 1999 earthquake in
Taiwan, for instance, killed 2,400 people, injured 11,000 more, and caused
hundreds of billions in damages. In April of 2024, Taiwan was once again struck
by an earthquake similar in magnitude to the one in 1999. But this time, the
impact was far less devastating, as
Progress writer Tony Morley has covered.
The 2024 quake killed 19 people and injured 1,100.
Taiwan had spent the quarter-century between the two earthquakes retrofitting
buildings and infrastructure to be earthquake-resilient, and ensuring that new
construction was built that way, too.
Underneath the hood of a phrase as boring as “building codes” is some very cool
science. Building codes have been updated through the years by engineering
analysis and experience, essentially seeing what has worked and what hasn’t in
previous earthquakes. Since the early millennium, researchers have also been
able to stress test new materials and designs before they are built at scale by
putting sample buildings through (simulated) earthquakes.
I’d like to introduce you to the coolest thing I saw on the Internet recently,
University of California San Diego’s (UCSD) “shake table.” Life-size buildings
are constructed and then placed on top of the table, which—as the name
indicates—shakes, mimicking real earthquake conditions. The table itself is a
steel plate, underneath which is a hydraulic system that powers devices similar
to pistons. The plate can hold up to 5 million pounds—several hundred T. Rexes,
or, more practically speaking, a 10-story building."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
