Disaster Safety Blog

Insured damage estimates emerging from Japan's disaster

Property damage from Japan's deadly earthquake and tsunami Friday could top $34 billion, according to initial estimates from AIR Worldwide. It was the most powerful earthquake to hit Japan since records began in the 19th century, and the fifth largest quake anywhere in the world in 110 years.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, some 1,200 buildings were destroyed. AIR has estimated the insured property losses at between $14.6 billion and $34 billion.

Comparisons are being drawn between Friday's quake and the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that hit the Japanese city of Kobe in January 1995. Some 6,500 people died in that disaster, which caused $122 billion in property damage.

The risk of earthquake in the United States is high in many regions. Find solutions to help protect your property with help from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety at www.DisasterSafety.org/earthquake.

Japan's building codes earn praise post-quake

From seawalls that line stretches of Japan’s coastline, to skyscrapers that sway to absorb earthquakes, to building codes that are among the world’s most rigorous, no country may be better prepared to withstand earthquakes than Japan, The New York Times reports.

Had any other populous country suffered the 8.9 magnitude earthquake that shook Japan on Friday, tens of thousands of people might already be counted among the dead. So far, Japan’s death toll is in the hundreds, although it is certain to rise.

Over the years, Japan has spent billions of dollars developing the most advanced technology against earthquakes and tsunamis. The Japanese, who regularly experience smaller earthquakes and have lived through major ones, know how to react to quakes and tsunamis because of regular drills — unlike Southeast Asians, many of whom died in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami because they lingered near the coast.

Communities along Japan’s coastline, especially in areas that have been hit by tsunamis in the past, tend to be the best prepared. Local authorities can usually contact residents directly through warning systems set up in each home; footpaths and other escape routes leading to higher ground tend to be clearly marked.

Find out how the building codes in your state stack up at DisasterSafety.org.

Earthquake destroys more than 500 properties, damages many more

At least 22 people were killed and hundreds injured today when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck southwest China's Yunnan province near the border with Myanmar, according to news reports.

The earthquake destroyed at least 580 houses and damaged countless others at Yingjiang.

The earthquake is the largest of more than 1,200 minor tremors over the last two months in the region, seismologists told reporters. It was followed by three aftershocks, measuring up to 4.7 magnitude within 10 minutes of the first tremor.

Eight earthquakes registering higher than 5 magnitude struck the area between 1991 and 2008, according to China's Earthquake Administration.

This quake and the recent one in New Zealand remind us that these events happen without warning. If you live or work in an earthquake-prone area, take steps now to secure your property against damage. They are things you can do to reduce the risk of severe damage and injury. Find out more at www.DisasterSafety.org/earthquake. Download a free copy of the new IBHS Guide Earthquake Risks around the U.S. - How to Protect Your Property.

 

Living on shaky ground: Learning from New Zealand's quakes

A 4.7-magnitude earthquake that researchers described as the largest in Arkansas in 35 years was recorded late Sunday night near Greenbrier. It was the latest in a swarm of quakes that has bedeviled the region since early last fall, according to The New York Times. There were no reports of major damage, though some residents spoke of dislodged screen doors and cracked ceilings. Damage or not, some said this was the longest and scariest quake yet, the newspaper reports.

This earthquake swarm in Arkansas should serve as a reminder of the seismic risks facing properties in surrounding states, including Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee to name a few. So what can residents living in these areas do to become better prepared? Learning from the recent quakes in New Zealand is a good place to start.

SmartPlanet.com's recent interview wtih Thomas O’Rourke, an engineering professor at Cornell University, focused on the earthquake in New Zealand last month that killed dozens of people and toppled buildings in Christchurch. O'Rourke says this event has implications for future disasters in the United States.

O’Rourke, who lived and worked in Christchurch, explained why an earthquake with a moderate intensity level caused such destruction — and what lessons we should take away from the disaster. 

Here is an excerpt from the interview. Read the full report at SmartPlanet.com.

SmartPlanet.com: Since this was a moderate earthquake, how do you explain the level of damage?

O'Rourke: The New Zealanders are among some of the best seismic engineers in the world. They have one of the oldest codes. It’s certainly as old as the code in the United States for earthquakes. They also have a very up-to-date approach to structural design, disaster preparedness, understanding the effects of earthquakes on their built infrastructure and undertaking measures to ensure as good a performance as possible from their lifeline networks, such as transportation, water supply, electric power, telecommunications. They had a 7.1 magnitude earthquake on Sept. 4, 2010. The epicenter of this earthquake was located about 12 to 15 kilometers to the west of Christchurch. It’s very close and they did sustain significant levels of acceleration and other types of ground motion and they had massive liquefaction during that event. Yet not a single person died.

That reflects more than luck. It reflects many of the codes they had in place for their more modern buildings and the steps they’d taken to ensure that there would be a reliable response from their infrastructure.

The second event [in New Zealand] is really extraordinary in the fact that it was a rupture that occurred underneath the port of Lyttelton and a little north of Lyttelton, very close to the business district of Christchurch. It generated some significant dynamic movements or strong ground motions and it had a very significant impact on the built environment.

The central business district of Christchurch has a lot of unreinforced masonry structures. Many, if not the grand majority, of the unreinforced masonry structures have either collapsed or sustained serious damage.

The type of motion we’re seeing from this small magnitude earthquake, because of its proximity to the central business district, is very similar to the ground shaking one might [see] in earthquakes in the United States. [This is in places] where the infrastructure and ground behavior has certain very similar characteristics to what we see in Christchurch. In 1812, there were three earthquakes in the Mississippi River area. There is historical evidence for soil liquefaction. If you want a good likeness to what would happen if we had a severe earthquake in the New Madrid zone, all you’d have to do is look at the central business district of Christchurch.

We have even a greater concentration of unreinforced masonry structures in places like Memphis and St. Louis that would be vulnerable to this type of event. We know that recent sediments from the Mississippi River are very similar to those of sediments in New Zealand. So when you look at the massive liquefaction in Christchurch, you don’t have to have a lot of imagination to understand what would actually happen in a large and severe Midwestern earthquake.

CEA rolls out retrofit program in California

California’s nonprofit earthquake insurance provider is shaking up its efforts to protect lives and property, the Sacramento Business Journal reports.

The California Earthquake Authority (CEA), which is an IBHS member company, is devoting $23 million to launch a retrofit program that would give owners $1,000 each to improve their home's ability to withstand quake damage. The newspaper says the program could boost business for remodeling contractors during the weak economy.

CEA Earthquake Response Manager Dan Dyce joined IBHS and representatives from the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium and the Federal Emergency Management Agency at the Earthquakes: Mean Business conference earlier this month in St. Louis. Dyce briefly discussed plans for the retrofit program during a panel discussion, which included IBHS, CUSEC and FEMA representatives, who discussed structural and non-structural retrofit options and business continuity planning tools.

IBHS offers the Open for Business^® program to help small business owners prioritize their plans to safeguard their business against all types of natural and manmade risks, including earthquakes. Download a free copy.

Building code update would require stronger enforcement in Memphis

An update to the commercial building code in Memphis, Tenn., which is considered among the cities at highest risk of damage from an earthquake along the New Madrid Seismic Zone, is expected to take effect this spring, pending final approval by city and county officials, according to the Commercial Appeal. The newspaper reports "the code will make buildings not just safer, but better, more serviceable."

According to the report, the new rules will require more inspections to ensure the code is being met. The existing code lacks enforcement requirements.

The new seismic codes emphasize creating a continuous load path from the roof to the foundation with the intent of increasing the building's ability to do more than just allow people to escape prior to a collapse, according to the newspaper.

The newspaper also reports along with the code update, there also is now an increased focus on encouraging non-structural mitigation, such as securing bookshelves, hanging fixtures and appliances, to prevent items from falling on people. Falling objects are the major source of damage due to earthquakes in the Midwest, according to the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC). Both of these factors will allow a busienss to re-open quickly with little or no damage after an earthquake.

Structural and non-structural mitigation, along with a push for strong building codes and enforcement in the Midwest, were the focus of an earthquake outreach initiative conducted by IBHS, CUSEC and the Federal Emergency Management Agency earlier this month in five states, including Tennessee.

The newspaper describes the new Tennessee building code classifications in four ways:

Collapse prevention. It's like the crumple zone of a car. The auto may be totaled, but you can walk away from a crash.

Life safety. Better secures nonstructural elements of a building, such as light fixtures and bookcases that could fall on people. The building might still be unusable or require massive renovation, but its occupants were able to get out. This is the level the updated code is targeting most buildings, Paullus said.

Immediate occupancy. Building withstands a quake so well that it's repairable with a few months of work.

Essential structures. These are buildings everyone will depend on for recovery and order should a quake hit. They include police and fire stations, hospital operating rooms and military installations. These structures are so resistant, a quake may cause people inside to fall, but they can get up and go back to work.

For more information on protecting businesses and homes from earthquake damage through structural and non-structural mitigation projects, download a free copy of the IBHS guide "Earthquake Risk Around the U.S. - How to Protect Your Property."

IBHS, CUSEC and FEMA Hit the Road for an Earthquake Outreach Initiative in the Midwest

2011 marks the 200^th anniversary of the New Madrid Earthquakes, which were several of the most devastating quakes the U.S. has ever experienced.  The New Madrid Seismic Zone includes seven states (AR, IA, IL, KY, MO, MS, TN) and the Earthquake Outreach Initiative is making stops in four of those states this week.

The Outreach trio of IBHS, the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) met with residents and business owners in Jonesboro, Ark., Jackson, Tenn., Paducah, Ky., and Carterville, Ill. to provide information about how to reduce their earthquake risk.

Yesterday, the team was in Shrewsbury, Mo. and will wrap up the initiative today with a presentation at the Earthquakes: Mean Business event, which marks the official kickoff of the New Madrid Bicentennial, in St. Louis, Mo. FEMA Director Craig Fugate will be the keynote speaker at the St. Louis event.

The theme of the initiative is “Identify your Risk, Make a Plan, and Take Action.” Residents and business owners will learn more about earthquakes in their communities; become familiar with available resources, such as QuakeSmart and Open for Business^®, which are tools to create earthquake preparedness plans; and, get how-to information about affordable ways to protect people and property from earthquake risks.

Read more about the Outreach Initiative at these links:

Pre-event media coverage
February 3:  Federal News Radio 1500 AM (national)
February 7:  Local communities ready in case of disaster, Southern.com (Ill.)

Post-event coverage
February 9:  Seminar prepares for a lot of shaking, Jonesboro Sun (Ark.)
February 9:  Experts: Plan for quake, Jackson Sun (Tenn.)

New IBHS guide helps property owners take control of their risk

The Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) today announced the availability of new guidelines to protect property from the effects of earthquakes. This week marks the 17th anniversary of the devastating 6.7 magnitude Northridge earthquake in California.

The new IBHS guide, “Earthquake Risk Around the U.S. - How to Protect Your Property,” provides information to help residents and business owners better understand the areas of a home or business most vulnerable to earthquake damage and offers solutions to minimize the risk of property losses. The information and suggestions presented in this guide range from simple weekend tasks that require basic carpentry skills to more complex projects that may require professional assistance.

Key topics covered include:
• The relationship between your home or business and an earthquake; 
• Key areas of your home or business that are especially susceptible to damage; 
• Ways you can reduce damage to your home or business and belongings; and, 
• What you can do to protect yourself and your family.

“In the U.S. we mainly associate earthquakes with California, but many other states also are at serious risk, such as South Carolina and those in the New Madrid Seismic Zone, including Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. Between December 1811 and February 1812, the New Madrid Zone had four of the largest known earthquakes in North America. It was reported that the Mississippi River ran backwards and the ground motion from the last quake caused church bells to ring as far as away as Boston,” said Julie Rochman, CEO and president, IBHS.

“The deadly earthquakes in Chile and Haiti last year tragically and vividly illustrated how damaging a single event can be, and what a difference effective building codes and other loss control measures can make to lives and property,” Rochman said. “Earthquakes are not like blizzards or hurricanes; we do not a clear warning period that one is imminent in a particular place. Accordingly, we must prepare more broadly now. The IBHS guidelines provide detailed instructions to help residents and business owners become better prepared. The time to take action is before, not after, a catastrophe like a major earthquake hits.”

The guidelines are publicly available at DisasterSafety.org/earthquake. For more information, contact IBHS at (813) 286-3400 or info@ibhs.org.

Superstorm would lead to $300 billion in losses in California, scientists say

This week marks the 17th anniversary of the Northridge earthquake in California, but a group of scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey are focusing on a new project that has nothing to do with temblors.

Leading the project is prominent scientist Lucy Jones, who is best known for her work with earthquakes. This time Jones and her team are working on the threat posed by a theoretical Pacific-spawned superstorm, which Jones predicts could do much more damage in California than a major earthquake on the San Andreas Fault. The team is developing a scenario based on analysis of past events.

The scenario, basically is akin to two of the biggest storm cycles of the past half-century occurring back to back, according to the USGS. It includes 40 days of rain dropping up to 10 feet of water, high winds, landslides and flooding. Property damage estimates show losses possibly reaching $300 billion.

The event is not unprecedented. About 150 years ago, over a few weeks in the winter of 1861-62, enough rain fell to inundate a stretch of the Central Valley 300 miles long and 20 miles wide, from north of Sacramento south to Bakersfield, near the eastern desert, according to USGS Director Marcia K. McNutt.

The storms lasted 45 days, creating lakes in parts of the Mojave Desert and, according to a survey account, “turning the Sacramento Valley into an inland sea, forcing the state capital to be moved from Sacramento to San Francisco for a time, and requiring Gov. Leland Stanford to take a rowboat to his inauguration.”

Then, in 1938, heavy rainfall and flooding inundated Los Angeles and prompted the construction of the Hansen Dam and Sepulveda Dam to control the L.A. River and other major waterways.

Whatever natural or man-made risks threaten your home or business, find ways to reduce the risk of property damage with help from the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS). Visit www.DisasterSafety.org.

Event will help residents protect property against earthquake damage

Earthquakes are no passing fancy to Southern Illinois residents who experienced a significant temblor April 18, 2008, attributed to the Wabash Valley seismic area, The Southern reports today.

With that fact in mind, public officials and the general public can learn more about seismic activity next month as John A. Logan College in Carterville, Ill., hosts a regional earthquake preparedness tour - "Identify your Risk, Make a Plan, and Take Action" - that is being presented by the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium, Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Institute for Business & Home Safety.

The program will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 9 in JALC Conference Center. It is part of a six-stop tour that includes neighboring states and is a bicentennial recognition of the 1811-12 New Madrid earthquakes that occurred from a fault system in the central United States roughly between St. Louis and Memphis, Tenn.

The series of four earthquakes were among the most violent earthquakes to ever hit the U.S. with magnitudes so powerful, there were eyewitness reports the Mississippi River flowed backward and damage occurred as far away as Washington, D.C., and Charleston, S.C., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

"Recognition of the New Madrid on this tour is designed to get a little more awareness out there for the community. We can learn more about earthquake preparedness," said Chris Barr, coordinator of corporate training at JALC.

CUSEC officials are expected to give a scientific presentation that will detail major facts and research of the New Madrid seismic zone.

What the general public may want to pay particular attention to will be a presentation from IBHS officials that centers on business mitigation and sustainability plans before and after quake activity, Barr said.

Find all of the IBHS projects at www.DisasterSafety.org/earthquake, where you can download a free copy of the new IBHS earthquake retrofit guide.

"Our role is to help businesses and homeowners become more resilient to earthquakes," said IBHS spokesman Joseph King.

There are things homeowners can do for example such as anchoring book shelves to the wall to keep it from collapsing.

"There are specific products available now to help anchor you knickknacks. You want to work for more stability to prevent major damage and to prevent items and objects from becoming moving targets that can seriously injure you. We have new methods of keeping things stable," King said.

The tour is a precursor to a larger event scheduled by CUSEC in April - "The Great Central U.S. ShakeOut" - that will involve more than a million people in Illinois, Missouri, Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Indiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.

Already being described as the largest earthquake preparedness event in central U.S. history, the ShakeOut will be centered on a simultaneous drop, cover and hold drill that will begin at 10:15 a.m. April 28 according to a CUSEC news release.

Register for the Shakeout and do your part to get prepared.