Earthquake Hazards & Human Responses

Every hazard event is different, and therefore the specific impacts of disaster vary

When researching case studies, it is important to be able to identify specific impacts and be able to explain these

Some impacts are tangible and can be given a financial value. Others are intangible, such as the destruction of a temple or artwork.

Many losses are direct and immediate such as property damage, but others are indirect these come later and are harder to quantify, such as stress and psychological damage.

Impacts are often considered as human (death, injury, illness), economic (property loss, loss of income, cost of relief effort) and physical (changes to landscape and topography).

A surprising number of people live in areas of active tectonic processes

Major tectonic hazards can strike with devastating force

The 2005 Kashmir Earthquakes killed around 85000, the 2008 Sichuan quake over 65,000 and 200,000+ died in the 2004 Asian Tsunami

It is important to consider why people live, in such large numbers, in areas of great risk

It is often said that disaster impacts in the developed world are largely economic, whereas in the developing world they are human (death). You should carefully consider if this generalisation is true. The 1995 Kobe earthquake in Japan and 1991 eruption of Mt Pinatubo in the Philippines are useful examples to consider

Death TollEventLocationDate5,115Mount Kelut eruptionIndonesia199123,000Nevado del Ruiz eruptionColombia198525,000Spitak EarthquakeArmenia198830,000Bam earthquakeIran200335,000Manjil Rudbar earthquakeIran199036,000Krakatoa eruption tsunamiIndonesia188366,000Ancash earthquakePeru197069,197Sichuan earthquakeChina200886,000Kashmir earthquakePakistan2005100,000TsunamiMessina, Italy1908105,000Great Kanto earthquakeJapan1923230,000Indian Ocean tsunamiIndian Ocean2004245,000Tangshan earthquakeChina1976

People cope with natural hazards in very different ways

The chosen ways are often related to wealth and access to technology

Humans do have a capacity to ignore or seriously underestimate risk, even when it seems obvious to others

Often it may seem obvious that people should move out of harms way, but in reality this may be impossible.

Modify the event (hazard mitigation)Modify human vulnerability Modify the loss TsunamiCoastal defences and engineering Warming and prediction systemsCoastal zone management and landuse planningProvision of emergency kitsLoss modification involves immediate rescue efforts, followed by relief efforts which focus on food, shelter, water and sanitation.Insurance can help recovery.Long term reconstruction is needed. EarthquakesNot possible Ground shaking and liquefaction risk mapping Aseismic buildings Earthquake education and drills Prediction not possible Volcanoes Lava diversion Monitoring, prediction warning and evacuation systems Hazard mapping e.g. lahar risk EducationShelters

Successful hazard management involves a cycle which focuses on the 3 types of modification from the previous slide.

A focus on modifying loss only, will not improve survival chances when the next hazard strikes

Long before a natural hazard event, there needs to be a focus on mitigation and prevention (if possible) as well as human preparedness.

A simplified version of Parks hazard response model is shown below

Different hazard events have different impacts, shown by the speed of the drop in quality of life, the duration of the decline, and the speed and nature of recovery.

The differences in the 3 lines might be related to type of hazard, degree of preparedness, speed of the relief effort and the nature of recovery and rebuilding.

Earthquakes are a very common, sudden release of energy that generate seismic wavesMost occur along faults (cracks in the earths crust) which become lockedOpposing tectonic forces push against the locked fault, building up strain, which eventually gives way releasing stored energyThis energy spreads out rapidly from the earthquake origin (the focus) reaching the surface at the epicentre, and then spreading horizontally.

Shallow focus earthquakes within 70km of the surfaceIntermediate depth earthquakes focus 70-300 km.Deep focus earthquakes - from from 300 up to 700kmAssociated with subductionAssociated with fault zonesBenioff Zone

Primary waves, or P waves, come first. They move like a pressure wave, typically creating a jolt. P waves are the least destructive. Next comes a secondary wave, or S wave. It shears the ground back and forth and up and down. Then come surface waves, the most destructive. They jerk the ground sideways and later roll in like ocean waves

The Richter magnitude scale assigns a number to quantify the amount of seismic energy released by an earthquake. It is a logarithmic scale obtained by calculated from the amplitude of the largest wave measured by a seismometerThe moment magnitude scale( denoted as Mw) is used to measure the size of earthquakes in terms of the energy released. The scale was developed in the 1970s to succeed the Richter scale. Even though the formulae are different, the new scale retains the familiar continuum of magnitude values. The MMS is now the scale used to estimate magnitudes for all modern large earthquakes by the USGS.

Possible hazards from earthquakes: Ground Motion - Shaking of the ground caused by the passage of seismic waves, especially surface waves near the epicenter of the earthquake are responsible for the most damage during and earthquake. The intensity of ground shaking depends on: Faulting and Ground Rupture - Ground rupture only occurs along the fault zone that moves during the earthquake. Thus structures that are built across fault zones may collapse, whereas structures built adjacent to, but not crossing the fault may survive. Aftershocks - These are usually smaller earthquakes that occur after a main earthquake. Aftershocks are very dangerous because they cause further collapse of structures damaged by the main shock.Fire - Fire is a secondary effect of earthquakes. Because power lines may be knocked down and because natural gas lines may rupture due to an earthquake, fires are often started closely following an earthquake. E.g. San Francisco 1906 & Loma Prieta, San Francisco 1989 Landslides - In mountainous regions subjected to earthquakes ground shaking may trigger landslides, rock and debris falls, rock and debris slides, slumps, and debris avalanches.Liquefaction - Liquefaction is a processes that occurs in water-saturated unconsolidated sediment due to shaking. In areas underlain by such material, the ground shaking causes the material tends to flow. Changes in Ground Level - A secondary or tertiary effect that is caused by faulting. Earthquakes may cause both uplift and subsidence of the land surface. During the 1964 Alaskan Earthquake, some areas were uplifted up to 11.5 m, while other areas subsided up to 2.3 m. Tsunamis - Tsunamis are giant ocean waves which can cause damage thousands of kilometers away on the other side of the ocean. E.g Chile 2010

Scientists can say where major earthquakes are likely to occur, based on the movement of the plates in the earth and the location of fault zones. They can also make general guesses of when they might occur in a certain area, by looking at the history of earthquakes in the region and detecting where pressure is building along fault lines. These predictions are extremely vague.Precursors to earthquakes include:Foreshocks occur prior to the main quake. Several small earthquakes occurred in the months before the 1989 San Francisco earthquakeGeophysical changes localised uplift and subsidence have been identified. E.g. the Niigata earthquake in Japan was accompanied by subsidence of the coastline by up to 20cmElectrical resistivity the VAN method (named after its inventors) suggests that electrical currents become disturbed just prior to an earthquake and this causes resitivity which can be measured.Radon gas - Radon gas may leak out of fault lines in greater quantities prior to an earthquake. In 2009, an Italian man claimed to have used radon monitors to predict a quake near his hometown of L'Aquila. Animal behaviour changes in animal behaviour are well documented. In China, panicky rats are an official earthquake precursor. Unusual elephant activity was also observed during the Boxing Day tsunami

Source Predominantly from Natural Hazards by Simon Ross 1998

Sichuan, ChinaMay 2008

Sichuans Hazard Event ProfileMagnitude 7.9 on the Richter Scale. At least 69,195 people killed, 374,177 injured and 18,392 missing and presumed dead. More than 45.5 million people in 10 provinces were affected. At least 15 million people were evacuated from their homes and more than 5 million were left homeless. An estimated 5.36 million buildings collapsed and more than 21 million buildings were damaged

Speed of onset Immediate no unusual precursors

Duration main earthquake lasted or about 2 minutes. Strong aftershocks, some exceeding magnitude 6, continued to hit the area even months after the main quake, causing new casualties and damage.

Areal extent massive - felt in much of central, eastern and southern China, including Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Tianjin, Wuhan and Hong Kong. Also felt in parts of Bangladesh, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Spatial predictability occurred as a result of motion on a northeast thrust fault that runs along the margin of the basin. The seismicity of central and eastern Asia is caused by the northward movement of the India plate at a rate of 5cm/year and its collision with Eurasia, resulting in the uplift of the Himalaya and Tibetan plateau and associated earthquake activity.

Frequency The northwestern margin of the Sichuan Basin has previously experienced destructive earthquakes. The magnitude 7.5 earthquake of August 25, 1933, killed more than 9,300 people.

Haiti, 12 January 2010

Haitis Hazard Event ProfileMagnitude Massive - 7.0 on the Richter Scale. 222,570 people killed, 300,000 injured, 1.3 million displaced, 97,294 houses destroyed and 188,383 damaged in the Port-au-Prince area and in much of southern Haiti.

Speed of onset Immediate

Duration There are aftershocks every 15 to 20 minutes. They last from three to five seconds. The first shock was really strong, people were falling in the streets and buildings collapsed. By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks measuring 4.5 or greater had been recorded

Areal extent Severe to exteme effects felt over a radius of 50km. Quake was felt in the Dominican Republic and houses shook in eastern Cuba - but no major damage there.

Spatial predictability Along a slip fault with the Caribbean plate moving eastward with respect to the North America plate by about 20mm/yr. In 2008, scientists authored a paper warning that a fault line on the south side of the island posed a 'major seismic hazard.'

Frequency The Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault system has not produced a major earthquake in recent decades. The EPGFZ is the likely source of historical large earthquakes in 1860, 1770, and 1751, The last major earthquake in Hispaniola was in 1946, measured 8.0 and left 20,000 people homeless

Haiti the factsHaiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, hampering its ability to recover from natural disasters. Population living below the poverty line - 80% & in abject poverty 54%Population as of July 2009 - just over 9 millionPopulation density - 346.4p/ kmMedian age 20 Life expectancy at birth - 61Fertility rate - 3.81Children die before the age of five 80 out of 1,000Haitians living with AIDS in 2007 120,000Literacy rate 53%Urban population 47%Number of tropical storms in 2008 that severely damaged the transportation infrastructure and agricultural sector - 4Proportion of the population that depends on the agricultural sector, mainly small-scale subsistence farming 2/3 Source: CBC News

Haiti occupies the western 1/3 of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, with the Dominican Republican occupying the east. History of violence, instability and dictatorship - Haiti achieved notoriety during the brutal dictatorships of the voodoo physician Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier and his son, Jean-Claude, or "Baby Doc". Tens of thousands of people were killed under their 29-year rule. Democratic rule restored in 2006 Most of the population live on less than $2 a dayEconomy in ruins and unemployment is chronic UN peacekeepers deployed - foreign aid seen as vital Massive deforestation has left just 2% forest Storms and hurricanes in 2008 left almost 800 dead

Source: BBC News

HAITI DISASTERS 1770 - Earthquake devastates Port-au-Prince 1842 - Quake destroys Cap-Haitien, other cities 1935 - Storm kills 2,000 1946 - Tsunami kills 1,790 1954 - Hurricane Hazel kills hundreds 1963 - Hurricane Flora kills 6,000 in Haiti and Cuba1994 - Hurricane Gordon kills hundreds 1998 - Hurricane Georges destroys 80% of crops 2004 - Floods kill 2,6002004 - Tropical Storm Jeanne kills 1,900 2007 - Tropical Storm Noel triggers mudslides, floods 2008 - Three hurricanes and tropical storm kill 800 2010 - Quake hits Port-au-Prince, killing tens of thousands

Sources: AP, US Geological Survey

"When you look at the architecture in Chile you see buildings that have damage, but not the complete pancaking that you've got in Haiti," said Cameron Sinclair, executive director of Architecture for Humanity, a 10-year-old nonprofit that has helped people in 36 countries rebuild after disasters. Sinclair said he has architect colleagues in Chile who have built thousands of low-income housing structures to be earthquake resistant.In Haiti, by contrast, there is no building code.Patrick Midy, a leading Haitian architect, said he knew of only three earthquake-resistant buildings in the Western Hemisphere's poorest country.

Lessons learned from the destruction of Haiti's presidential homeNewsweek - Jan21, 2010 Knowing where the most vulnerable soils are will help scientists develop a set of recommendations about where neighborhoods should be rebuilt, says Marc Levy, deputy director of Columbia University's Center for International Earth Science Information Network. "Right now, it looks like there is massive, so far uncoordinated, resettlement activity," "We're concerned that people may be moving from bad spots to worse ones." Levy's team is working to assemble information about multiple hazardsfrom landslides to earthquakes to floodsonto a single map that will ultimately be used to guide reconstruction.

A stronger Haitian capital will have to include more earthquake-resistant housing. And while such engineering is expensive, there are some cost-effective options that experts say could be a good fit for Haiti. Straw-bale houses, which are already being built in Pakistan, have proved to be just as resistant as other earthquake-proof designs, at only half the cost. In one recent study, the housesmade of clay, soil, straw, and gravel, and built by unskilled laborerswithstood forces comparable to the 6.7-magnitude earthquake in Northridge, Calif., in 1994.Of course, there are other, more obvious steps toward building a stronger, more resilient Haiti. The concrete used in most of the buildings, for example, was dangerously light on cement. Cheap concrete has less cement and produces weaker buildings. On top of that, pictures indicate that most of the buildings in Port-au-Prince lacked proper reinforcements. In many of the smaller buildings, cinder blocks were piled on top of one another with no supports. Concrete by itself can handle compression stresses, but reinforcements made of steel, or even rope are needed to resist tension stresses.A large part of these deficiencies is no doubt the result of dire poverty, but experts say another problem is the rampant corruption in Haiti's construction industry. "They simply don't enforce any building codes," says a civil engineer and earthquake engineering expert at the University of New Hampshire. "That alone can mean the difference between losing 100 people and losing 100,000 people." Case in point: in 1989 a 7.0 earthquake in San Francisco killed fewer than 70 people, largely thanks to stable buildings that had been designed with earthquake resistance in mind. "It's a good rule of thumb that earthquakes don't kill people, collapsed buildings kill people."

The Looming Threat - Scientists had been making progress on curbing a devastating cycle of environmental destruction and poverty in Haiti. The earthquake has put that work on hold.Newsweek 25 January 2010It was Alex Fischer's fifth trip to Haiti in the past two years, and he finally felt like progress was being made. The team of Columbia University researchers of which he was a part had set out in 2009 to solve two of the country's most intractable problems: poverty and vulnerability to natural disasters. The key to both, they believed, would be restoring the country's degraded environment. The first phase of the programknown as the Haiti Regeneration Initiativehad been dedicated to enlisting local officials and developing the technical capacity necessary for large-scale research. Haiti is not only the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere; it's also the most environmentally degraded. Less than 1% of its original forest cover remains, and 6% of the land has virtually no soil left. Both are due to a vicious cycle of overpopulation, poverty, and natural disasters. Each increases susceptibility to the other and as time wears on, it's evident that to be effective, all problems must be attacked at once. For what some say was the first time, scientists were trying to do just that with a more integrated development program addressing both economic and environmental concerns. Now that work has been put on holdHaiti's population is projected to grow by 20 percent in the next decadea prediction the earthquake has not changed. More bellies to fill means more land will have to be cleared for farming. That means more erosion. And as the planet warms, natural disasters will likely become more frequent and severe.

Chile27 February 2010

The earthquake took place along the boundary between the Nazca and South American tectonic plates, at a location where they converge at a rate of 80mm a year. This earthquake was characterized by a thrust-faulting mechanism, caused by the subduction of the Nazca plate beneath the South American.

Chiles Hazard Event ProfileMagnitude 8.8 on the Richter scale. (500 times stronger than the Haiti quake) At least 507 people killed, many injured and at least 200,000 houses damaged by the earthquake

Speed of onset Instant

Duration In the time period since the earthquake the USGS has located 304 aftershocks of magnitude 5.0 or greater. 21 of these aftershocks have magnitudes of 6.0 or greater.

Areal extent It was strongly felt in six Chilean regions (from Valparaso in the north to Araucana in the south), that together make up 80% of the country's population.. Also felt in parts of Argentina, Bolivia, southern Brazil, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. A Pacific-wide tsunami was generated and caused minor damage to boats and a dock in the San Diego area, California.

Spatial predictability Yes along the boundary of the Nazca and S American Plates.

Frequency Major earthquakes have occurred along this coast in 1562, 1730, 1751, 1835 (was observed by Darwin) and 1906

Disaster experts praise Chile earthquake response By Associated Press - March 10, 2010

Despite complaints that aid was slow to reach the hungry and homeless, experts say Chile's response to one of history's most powerful earthquakes has been a model for disaster recovery.At first, the problems were all too obvious: Chile's navy and emergency preparedness office failed to issue a tsunami warning that might have saved hundreds of lives after the Feb. 27 quake, and Bachelet didn't order soldiers to impose order in the streets until after looting had spun out of control.But experts say other smart moves like insisting that foreign help meet specific needs, quickly patching up roads and having the military handle logistics made it possible to deliver 12,000 tons of relief in just 10 days.And despite extensive damage to hospitals, few additional lives have been lost since the tsunami retreated, leaving at least 497 dead and hundreds missing.Chile's critical north-south highway was restored the day after the quake, with thick metal plates covering cracks, dump-truck loads of gravel filling collapsed pavement and more than a dozen fallen pedestrian overpasses quickly pushed aside. The patchwork repairs soon enabled an aid convoy of 100 tractor-trailers to make the eight-hour journey south from the capital to the most damaged cities.

Veterans of other disasters have been impressed by Chile's response."There is nothing more frustrating than getting aid somewhere and not seeing it delivered to the people who need it. Here, there is no aid that sits anywhere. It's getting exactly to the people," said Col. Julio Lopez, who commands the U.S. Air Force's 35th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, which has been ferrying supplies and people in C-130 cargo planes between Chile's capital and Concepcion, the closest large city to the epicenter.Ten days after the quake, more than 90% of homes in the disaster area have regular power and water and a half-million survivors are getting water trucked in. Food aid is flowing in huge cargo planes and military helicopters, navy ships and tractor-trailers.Countless volunteers have turned out to help the 14,000 soldiers who stand guard and help deliver relief, and a national telethon raised $60 million enough to build small emergency shelters for most of the poorest survivors whose homes were destroyed.The magnitude-8.8 earthquake that struck just off Chile's coast was more than 500 times more powerful than the 7.0 quake that devastated Haiti. It was so strong that it shifted the Earth's orbit and moved Concepcion three meters to the west, scientists say.Yet Chile's infrastructure and modern buildings designed to withstand a magnitude-9 earthquake emerged largely intact. Chile had only a tiny fraction of Haiti's estimated 230,000 killed.

Comparisons between 2010 Haiti & Chile Earthquakes

Magnitude of earthquake Haiti: 7.0Chile: 8.8Number of deaths Haiti: more than 200,000Chile: more than 795Number of buildings destroyed, according to country's presidentHaiti: 280,000Chile: 500,000Days consumed dealing with construction permits to build a basic warehouseHaiti: 1,179 daysChile: 155 daysRanking on worldwide corruption index Haiti: 168Chile: 25Pace of World Vision US aidTo Haiti: $3.9 million in first 48 hours, or $81,250 per hourTo Chile: $220,000 in first 48 hours, or $4,583 per hourCitizens av. annual incomeHaiti: $1,300Chile: $14,700Percentage of population below poverty lineHaiti: 80Chile: 18.2Life expectancyHaiti: 61Chile: 77(Sources: CIA Factbook, International Finance Corporation, US Census Bureau, Wire services)

Why did fewer die in Chile's earthquake than in Haiti's? Monday, 1 March 2010 BBC NewsThe death toll from Chile's 8.8 magnitude earthquake looks was a fraction of the 220,000 people killed in Haiti in January. This is despite the Chilean quake being 500 times stronger than the one in Haiti. Clearly, Chile is a more prosperous country, with economic output per head of the population more than 10 times greater than Haiti. That has meant that buildings in general are better built, but Chile was also better prepared. People in Chile knew the safest places to go to when the earthquake struck. Also, since an even stronger earthquake in 1960, Chile has developed a seismic design code for new buildings, which has made them better able to stay standing in an earthquake.

One system that helps buildings stay up is called the "strong columns weak beams" system. The idea is that buildings are held up by reinforced concrete columns, which are strengthened by a steel frame. Reinforced concrete beams are joined onto the columns to make floors and the roof. If there is an earthquake, the idea is that the concrete on the beams should break near the end, which dissipates a lot of the energy of the earthquake, but that the steel reinforcement should survive and the columns should stay standing, which means the building will stay upright.

A mitigating factor in the Chilean quake was that its focus was 34km underground, off-shore and its epicentre was 115km from the nearest big city, Concepcion. The energy from earthquakes falls the further away you are from the centre. The Haitian quake on the other hand was only 13km underground and right on the edge of Port-au-Prince.

Chile has been decimated by earthquakes before. In fact, the most powerful earthquake ever recorded was a 9.5 in 1960 in close proximity to the epicenter of Saturdays quake. Since Chile has seen its fair share of earthquakes it has worked hard to prepare and protect against others. The countrys building codes, are recognized as some of the best in the world, and the country has implemented many quake-resistant building techniques to stem future disasters. Since the 1960s, seismic codes have been enforced for all new construction based on what they call the strong columns weak beam system. As BBC describes it:The idea is that buildings are held up by reinforced concrete columns, which are strengthened by a steel frame. Reinforced concrete beams are joined onto the columns to make floors and the roof. If there is an earthquake, the idea is that the concrete on the beams should break near the end, which dissipates a lot of the energy of the earthquake, but that the steel reinforcement should survive and the columns should stay standing, which means the building will stay upright. Building Codes Save Lives In Chilean Earthquake | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World

Chile Earthquake Over the last century, Chile has experienced more than a dozen major earthquakes. The 1906 Great Valparaiso earthquake (Ms8.6), damaged much of central Chile. In the 1939 Chillan Ms8.3 earthquake, damage covered an area of 45,000km. The 1960 Chiloe quake at Mw9.5 was the largest instrumentally-recorded event in the world. In 1985, central Chile was hit again by a quake measuring Ms7.8, resulting in losses of US$1.8 billion. While earthquake hazard in Chile is among the highest in the world, the countrys building codes and practices have been adapted to respond to this environment, helping to mitigate the level of financial risk. Since 1996, the RMS Chile Earthquake Model has helped companies underwriting business in Chile to understand and quantify the interaction of hazard and building vulnerability to determine the impact on insured portfolio losses.Model Highlights 140 source regions with earthquake generating potential Comprehensive hazard database for soil amplification potential and liquefaction susceptibility Vulnerability functions that account for local/regional construction differences and building code changes in 1950 and 1975Geographic ScopeCovers all regions of Chile

The most important part of the structure is to isolate the base. When the horizontal seismic waves come, the base must be flexible and able to move with the wave. To do this, you might build the base on a rubber material and build a moat around it. To dissipate the energy, the building should have a frame of a metal that has a high shear strength, as well as cross bracing. It is also a good idea to use hydraulic systems to help balance out forces because it gives additional flexibility. In poorer countries, a lot of buildings are made of concrete blocks. These type of structures are very heavy and are not flexible. As a result, more people die because the heavy building caves in on them. The best structures are light, strong, and flexible.The roof must remain light.

Earthquake-Proof House Survives 7.5 Magnitude Quake20 July 2009 During a test at Japans Hyogo Earthquake Engineering Research Center, researchers used an E-Defense shake table, the largest shake table in the world, to simulate an earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale. The 7-story, million-pound wood condominium that was placed on the table remained standing, only suffering some minor cosmetic damage.Researchers say that to get the building to withstand the shaking, they changed the condos nail distribution to better distribute stiffness among the different floors, taking into account changes in structural pressure that occur during an earthquake. Designers also used 63 anchor tie-down systems, steel rods that run from the foundation to the roof and prevent the building from rocking.While many designers have looked at expensive, complicated building materials like flexible concrete and metal alloys to create quake-proof structures, this is the only experiment to use buildings crafted from wood. Its important to optimize this particular building material because wood is both inexpensive and sustainable, meaning it can be used in all parts of the world, even in impoverished nations.

Researchers make bendable concreteMay 4, 2005 A new type of fiber-reinforced bendable concrete will be used for the first time in Michigan this summer- and University of Michigan scientists hope that their new material will find widespread use across the country. The new concrete looks like regular concrete, but is 500 times more resistant to cracking and 40 percent lighter in weight. Tiny fibers that comprise about 2 percent of the mixture's volume partly account for its performance. Also, the materials in the concrete itself are designed for maximum flexibility. Because of its long life, the Engineered Cement Composites (ECC) are expected to cost less in the long run, as well.

Hyogo Earthquake Engineering Research Center Background:The Kobe Earthquake occurred on Jan 17, 1995. Almost 6,500 citizens of Kobe and its surroundings lost their lives, and tens of thousands more lost their houses. The economic consequences have exceeded US$100 billions, making it the most expensive natural disaster on record. Purpose of this facility The national research Institute for Earth science and Disaster prevention (NIED) has constructed a 3-D Full-Scale Earthquake Testing facility, nicknamed "E-Defense". This includes the world's largest shaking table, which can simulate high level ground motions due to high-intensity earthquakes. To Make Our Society More Earthquake-Resistant : many earthquake-resistant structures were destroyed by recent earthquakes, such as the Kobe Earthquake (1995) in Japan, the Kocaeli Earthquake(1999) in Turkey, Niigataken-Chuetu Earthquake(2004) in Japan, etc. The reliability of structures during earthquakes must tested and existing design methods must be confirmed by full-scale experiments. Utilization and Operation of E-Defense: E-defense depends on coordination and collaboration of many participants, including academic institutions, government researchers, general public, private and industrial organizations. Nickname of "E-Defense" "E" stands for "Earth", and the nickname shows the great expectations of research and development for saving lives and properties from global disasters. The logo shows cracks in the ground, earthquakes and the three-dimensional motion of E-Defense are symbolized with three colors.http://www.bosai.go.jp/hyogo/ehyogo/