Showing posts with label earthquake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label earthquake. Show all posts

Friday, March 18, 2011

Raise The Awareness of Conserving the Earth

Earth is a place where all living creatures take shelter and survival. Over millions of years the living creatures depend on nature. Earth support the living creatures with the natural environment of land, sea and air.

Lake


However, in line with the old age of the earth and competition in maintaining life, the civilized creatures will ultimately control their environment.



Humans with high civilization has managed to rule the earth. But humans were not aware that in attempting to take advantage of nature can cause environmental damage to the earth and everything in it.

Trash and oil waste will polluting the sea. Deforestation causes floods and landslides. The air become dirty due to pollution and ozone layer thinning.



The rising of carbon dioxide concentration causing greenhouse effect that eventually resulted in rising world temperatures, extreme climate change and gletsers melt down every where.

All of these were also an adverse impact on human health which become susceptible to disease affecting the skin and respiratory system.

This Bad consequences are difficult to overcome and require a very long reply time to fix it. If we do not immediately stop the destruction of this natural environment so our children and grandchildren will suffer the consequences more severe..

Let us instill public awareness on the importance of protecting the environment, ranging from the smallest sphere such as the home and office environment to a larger scope such as industrial, rural and urban areas and more broadly scope such as forestry, aquatic and marine areas.


Earthquake Prediction Technology

Geologists from all over the world trying to find the right technology to predict earthquakes. From geologist at the National Taiwan University claims that they have discovered an earthquake detector. This device is claimed only takes about 30 seconds to analyze the disaster that will happen.

It also claimed to be able to analyze the size of the earthquake strength and estimate the time of the earthquake happen. By detecting the signs of an earthquake. According to one researcher, Yih-Min Wu, the price of these devices is only 302USD.

This earthquake device used to measure changes in gravity and have not been used operationally to predict earthquakes. So it still have to go through the final stages of testing, ie, connecting to the computer system. These discoveries were also still doubt the experts, because not a single human-made tools that can predict an earthquake.
Earthquake-prone countries have at least four related seismic sensors, such as:

  • tsunami early warning system sensors
  • seismometer sensor to determine the depth and magnitude quake quake
  • GPS sensors to monitor changes in the elastic earth by a seismic event of disruption
  • marine tidal sensors
With those four powerful devices, geologist are still difficult to predict the occurrence of earthquakes. This is due to the characteristics and structure of different rocks.

In addition, those devices are also used to monitor the behavior of the earth's crust that is affected the earth constellation of other planets that play a role in triggering earthquakes. Although not yet able to detect when and calculate the power of the earthquake, the data obtained from the devices is expected to be used to calculate the likelihood of an earthquake.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Indonesia a disaster prone country

Disaster, a perceived tragedy, being either a natural calamity or man-made catastrophe. It is a hazard which has comes to fruition. A hazard, in turn, is a situation which poses a level of threat to life, health, property, or that may deleteriously affect society or an environment.
What is Disaster?
A natural disaster is a consequence when a natural hazard such as volcanic eruption or earthquake affects humans and their environment.

Man-made disasters caused by human action, negligence, error, or involving the failure of a system.
Technological Man-made disasters are the results of failure of technology, such as engineering failures, transport disasters, or environmental disasters.

Indonesia is One of Disaster Prone Countries of the World
 
About 90% of the world's earthquakes and 80% of the world's largest earthquakes occur along the Pacific Ring of Fire, which has 452 volcanoes and is home to over 75% of the world's active and dormant volcanoes.

Indonesia lies between the Ring of Fire along the northeastern islands adjacent to and including Papua and the Alpide belt along the south and west from Sumatra, Java, Bali, Flores, and Timor.

Indonesia precisely located in three major tectonic plates which are The Indo-Australian Plate, Eurasian Plate and also Pacific Plate. These three tectonic plates produce frequent earthquake which also could form a tsunami. Other disasters like floods, fires and hurricanes are the results of nature vulnerability and destruction.

The threats of environment destruction such as hurricane, floods, avalanche, epidemic, abrasion, earthquake, pest, fires, drought, volcanic eruption, and also sabotage with terrorism, nowadays are more destructive to nature itself. Because the global warming is brought unstable situation to every corner of the earth.

In the last ten years, the globe has stricken many disasters whether it’s in small or big scale. The worst is, the intensity of the event is getting higher and the variety of the tragedy is becoming wider and complex. Whatever the cause is, there always great loss in every aspect.

With those potential hazards, Indonesia needs to strengthen national capability in disaster management, empower local authorities in anticipating and responding disaster in their regions, coordinate all stakeholders and activities in disaster management and incorporate disaster risk reduction in the framework of national development plan.

Disaster Management in Indonesia

Tsunami strikes again in Japan on March 11, 2011. After a deadly 8.9 earthquake, one of the largest earthquakes in the history of Japan, a massive tsunami hit the north east coast of Japan.

Indonesia is one of the world's most disaster-prone countries. Now is the time for Indonesia to priorite management disaster.

To get everything that essential about:
  • Understand what is a disaster, the loss from it, prevention act, what should we do in a disaster, and also survival act after it.  
  • Reduce fatality and loss from a disaster.
  • Detection of disaster, avoid its potential threats, prevent its effect in every aspects.
  • Better in get over a disaster and helping victims.
  • Restore places to normal better and faster.
  • More efficient and effective in resources.


Potential Hazards
  • Geologically prone to earthquake, tsunami, volcano eruption and landslides.
  • Hydrometeorology (flood, flash-flood, typhoon and drought).
  • Biology (epidemics, diseases and pest).
  • Environment degradation (deforestation, forest fire, haze, water and air pollution).
  • Technological failure (transportation and industrial accidents).
  • Social Conflict (civil unrest and terrorism).
Policies 
  • Strengthen national capability in disaster management, especially in prevention, mitigation and preparedness.
  • Manage and mobilize all potential resources (infrastructure and manpower) in disaster preparedness, responds and recovery.
  • Empower local authorities in anticipating and responding disaster in their regions.
  • Coordinate all stakeholders and activities in disaster management.
  • Incorporate disaster risk reduction in the framework of national development plan.
Strategies
  • Disseminate disaster risk reduction and strengthen capacity through training and education.
  • Prepare disaster legislation, regulations and standard operating procedures.
  • Set up disaster management information systems.
  • Disseminate hazard mapping and risk assessment.
  • Set up disaster management plan in all levels.
  • Strengthen National/Provincial/District Emergency Operation Center and Rapid Response Team.
  • Strengthen local capacity in disaster recovery. 
Conclusions
Indonesia is disaster prone country, both natural and human induce disaster. Disaster management in Indonesia needs support from space technology in terms of hazard and risk mapping, early warning, damage assessment and rehabilitation. The Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum or APRSAF play an important role to assist Indonesia in the disaster management.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Japan Earthquake 8.9 magnitude triggering Tsunami

An 8.9-magnitude earthquake hit northern Japan on Friday, triggering tsunamis and sending a massive wave filled with debris that included boats and houses inching toward land.
The number of fatalities was unclear, but Japan's Kyodo news reported at least 10 killed and numerous injured.

The quake prompted at least 19 countries and numerous Pacific islands to issue tsunami warnings. It was followed by powerful aftershocks that were felt in capital of Tokyo.

The quake's epicenter was 373 kilometers (231 miles) away from Tokyo, the United States Geological Survey said. But residents there continued to feel aftershocks long after the quake.

At Tokyo Station, one of Japan's busiest subway stations, people grabbed each other to steady themselves. Children cried. An announcement over the station loudspeaker warned commuters to remain underground.
 
Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/11/japan.quake/index.html?hpt=T1