What Severe South American Quakes Teach Us About West Coast Disaster Readiness
Following a devastating doublet earthquake in Venezuela, Northeastern structural and resilience experts are urging California to bolster its preparedness for a future major rupture along the San Andreas Fault. Interim Dean Jerome Hajjar and CSSH/CEE Associate Professor Serena Alexander highlight that true mitigation requires addressing vulnerabilities across both interconnected physical infrastructure networks and local neighborhood emergency support systems.
This article originally appeared on Northeastern Global News. It was published by Peter Rubinstein. Main photo: Preparing for a major tremor means considering vulnerabilities in both infrastructure and the relationships within local communities. Photo by Jesus Vargas/Getty Images
Deadly Venezuela earthquakes raise concern in tremor-prone California
Experts recommend that residents in quake-prone areas forge bonds with their neighbors, who are often the first lifeline in the midst of disaster.
In the aftermath of back-to-back earthquakes in northern Venezuela, which by Friday had killed more than 500 people and left thousands injured, experts in resilience planning have emphasized the increasing importance of disaster preparedness in earthquake-prone California.
Devastating quakes such as the double hit that struck Venezuela on June 24 remind Californians of their own history with the seismic phenomenon, stoking ever-present fears that the “big one” is just on the horizon. The West Coast state has been struck by 15 earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.0 or above since 1769, and weathered a 5.6-magnitude one on the same day as Venezuela’s quakes, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey.
“Along the whole San Andreas Fault, especially in northern and southern California, seismologists certainly remain concerned that a large earthquake can occur,” said Jerome Hajjar, distinguished professor at Northeastern and director of the Laboratory for Structural Testing of Resilient and Sustainable Systems.
Northeastern experts in resilience studies say preparing for a major tremor means considering vulnerabilities in both the statewide web of interconnected infrastructure and the relationships between neighbors, who are often the first lifeline in the midst of disaster.
On the national and global stage, states like California, Massachusetts and Colorado have been leaders in the field of disaster planning even in the absence of meaningful federal-level preparedness, according to Serena Alexander, associate professor in civil and environmental engineering at Northeastern and former visiting scholar of climate policy and resilience at the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Seismologists remain concerned that a large earthquake can occur along California’s San Andreas fault. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images
City leaders in places like San Francisco, for instance, are actively planning for an uptick in earthquakes, directing funds toward areas of emergency preparedness they identify as particularly vulnerable, local officials have said.
“The city planners and government officials are prioritizing it, perhaps because of San Francisco’s location to earthquake fault lines, and also due to previous losses incurred by the city,” said Aayushi Mishra, a doctoral candidate in civil and environmental engineering at Northeastern. “I think they’re trying to get ahead of it.”
Earlier this month, the city and county of San Francisco proposed a $535 million Earthquake Safety and Emergency Response bond aimed at seismic upgrades and improvements to aging first responder facilities.The funds would ensure San Francisco “responds promptly and has the capacity to launch an effective, safe recovery,” the city said in a statement.
Auroop Ganguly, distinguished professor of civil and environmental engineering at Northeastern and a chief scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, described California as an experimental “playground” for managing disaster-related extremes.
But notable gaps in disaster planning persist, Alexander says, particularly on the state and federal level, which in times of disaster can prove too slow to respond effectively.
Read full story at Northeastern Global News