TURKEY EARTHQUAKE (March 8, 2010)

A strong earthquake has struck eastern Turkey at 02:32 UTC (4:32 AM local time) on March 8, 2010, killing at least 57 people, officials have said. The 6.0-magnitude quake, centred on the village of Basyurt in Elazig province, struck at 0432 (0232 GMT). It has been followed by more than 40 aftershocks.

The main building material in the area is mud bricks, which do not stand up well to earthquakes.

Houses are destroyed during an earthquake in Turkish eastern province of Elazig.

"Most houses are not made with cement, they are not well-built and the people are not well-educated about what to do and where to take cover during an earthquake." Turkey is plagued by earthquakes - generally minor - because of its location on the North Anatolian fault line.

The quake was caused by the stresses resulting from the collision of the Arabian Plate with the Eurasian Plate. In this process much of Turkey, the Anatolian block, is being squeezed off to the west. We see the quakes as a reflection of the plates of Earth's crust being jostled, bumping into eachother, rubbing against eachother and in the process knocking down buildings and causing so much suffering. Turkey has seen many devastating quakes over the years. In 1999, a quake in a different part of the country showed that even good building don't help if they aren't enforced.

SOURCES:


http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-03/08/c_13202271.htm
http://theearthquakemuseum.blogspot.com/2010/03/march-8-2010-turkey-earthquake.html
http://neftegaz.ru/en/news/view/93376

CHILE EARTHQUAKE (February 27, 2010)

The 2010 Chile earthquake occurred off the coast of either the Maule Region or the Biobío Region of Chile on February 27, 2010, at 03:34 local time (06:34 UTC), rating a magnitude of 8.8 on the moment magnitude scale, with intense shaking lasting for about three minutes. It ranks as the sixth largest earthquake ever to be recorded by a seismograph. It was felt strongly in six Chilean regions (from Valparaíso in the north to Araucanía in the south), that together make up about 80 percent of the country's population.




These are some snapshots of the constructions damaged by the 8.8 earthquake:

People were found dead after the earthquake struck, mostly under buildings and inside cars. Many people were also seriously injured. Most injuries were reported in Santiago and Maule.

SOURCES:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Chile_earthquake

MACHU PICCHU LANDSLIDE; Peru ( January 24, 2010 )

Two thousand tourists, including a number of Britons, are trapped at Peru's famous Inca ruins after landslides. They have been stranded on the historical site of Machu Picchu in Peru after torrential rain flooded the area, setting off lethal mudslides that have killed five people. About 400 Americans and 700 Argentines were among the initial 2,000 travelers stranded, and U.S. authorities sent four helicopters to bolster rescue efforts Tuesday.

Days of heavy rains have triggered up to 40 landslides, one of which blocked the railway connecting the 7,000ft-high Inca ruins with the city of Cuzco.

The deaths raised to five the number of people killed by rain-triggered floods and landslides in the area, Moscoso said. The spectacular Incan ruins, perched on an Andean mountaintop, are Peru's top tourist destination.

Government and private helicopters are currently flying some to safety but many travellers are still sheltering in Machu Picchu village's train station and the central plaza after hostels ran out of space.  More helicopters are promised, but their arrival depends on the weather.

SOURCES:

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Machu-Picchu-Inca-Ruins-Peru-Landslides-Trap-Tourists-At-Inca-Citadel-Attraction-After-Heavy-Rain/Article/201001415535937

http://journals.worldnomads.com/safetyhub/story/53973/Peru/Machu-Picchu-Landslides-advice-for-travelers

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35063402/ns/travel-news/t/tourist-guide-killed-near-machu-picchu-ruins/

HAITI EARTHQUAKE (January 12, 2010)

Before a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on January 12, the Caribbean nation was already holding on by a thread. Haiti struggled with political corruption, desperate poverty, and starvation. Because of over farming, floods, and deforestation, the country could not feed itself: Just two years ago, hungry Haitians stormed the presidential palace when rising world food prices caused a food shortage. With the country's infrastructure already precariously close to collapsing, the Haiti quake made for the most devastating impact that the world has seen in a century. The temblor, with its epicenter located 10 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, radiated waves of destruction through the Haitian capital.

An estimated 200,000 people were killed,

a further 250,000 injured 

and more than 1.5 million people were left homeless.

Damage to buildings and infrastructure was widespread, essential services were severely disrupted, and an already fractious security environment was further inflamed. 

Most of the poorly constructed buildings toppled as if they were made of paper.




SOURCES:
http://yearinreview.yahoo.com/2010/us_natural_disasters#Natural Disasters
http://www.control-risks.com/default.aspx?page=1577