1.

A natural disaster is a major adverse event resulting from natural processes of the Earth;
examples include floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes,
tsunamis, storms, and other geologic processes. "the number of people suffering food
crises as a result of natural disasters has tripled in the last thirty years"
2. Here we are going to talk about the earthquake. So, it's one of the worst natural hazards
which turns into a disaster causing widespread destruction, loss of life and property. An
earthquake is what happens when two blocks of the earth suddenly slip past one
another. The surface where they slip is called the fault or fault plane.
3. Sometimes an earthquake has foreshocks. These are smaller earthquakes that happen
in the same place as the larger earthquake that follows. Scientists can’t tell that an
earthquake is a foreshock until the larger earthquake happens. The largest, main
earthquake is called the mainshock. Mainshocks always have aftershocks that follow.
These are smaller earthquakes that occur afterwards in the same place as the
mainshock.
4. There is an example that will clear its picture. Let's assume if we throw a stone in the
pond of still water then the series of waves are produced on the surface of the water,
these waves spread out in all directions from the point where the stone strikes the water.
Similarly, any sudden disturbances in the earth's crust may produce vibration in the crust
which travels in all directions from point of disturbances.
5. A large amount of energy is produced during the earthquake resulting in loss of living
and non-living things. A recent example in India is the Assam earthquake which
occurred last month caused huge destruction and loss of human life. That earthquake
was of 4.2 magnitude which was only moderately intense but the harm it did was more.
6. So, now the majority of you heard of magnitude but some of us know about it. A
magnitude is nothing but the strength with which an earthquake hits the location. It's
measured with the instrument called seismogram which makes the graph of the waves
produced by the earthquake that will give us the readings of the intensity of the
earthquake. Also required in the prediction of the earthquake.
7. India is divided into different zones which are called seismic zones which gives us an
idea of the locations more likely to hit by an earthquake. Many of you are thinking right
now that there is no zone 1 right. Since the current division of India into earthquake
hazard zones does not use Zone 1, no area of India is classed as Zone 1.
8. So when the earthquake hits your location what could happen. There will be loss of life,
destruction of transport, airports, highways, infrastructure. There will be chances of flood
if it develops cracks in dams. Communications such as telephone lines could be
damaged. Economic activities like agriculture, industry, trade and transport are severely
affected.
9. So, the question is what can we do during an earthquake. First, you need to be in a safe
place. If you are in house then don’t use lifts. If you are in shops, schools or offices do
not run for the exit, take cover under the desk or table. If you are outside avoid high
buildings, walls, power lines and other objects that could fall. If you are in a vehicle then
stop in a safe open place. So these things are to keep in mind for your safety.
 10. But what can we do for others after the earthquake? We can help others by Conduct
search and rescue efforts. Provide medical care. Serve food and water.Distribute relief
supplies. Build an emergency shelter. Restore communications.Restore water supplies.
Teach disaster preparedness. Rebuild communities.

11. The economies and societies in areas affected by these earthquakes were damaged
significantly, and many communities are still experiencing the long term effects of massive
destruction to their communities. Furthermore, the effects of earthquakes in one country often
spread across borders into neighbouring countries, but cross-border collaborations to respond
may not always be in place. As a result, reducing earthquake risk has become an indispensable
task for achieving sustainable development, both in terms of saving lives and preventing
affected communities from slipping back into poverty.

12. On the other side if we talk about India the govt provides Operation Maitri (Operation Amity)
which was a rescue and relief operation by the government of India and Indian armed forces
started in the aftermath of the April 2015 Nepal earthquake. ... Indian government responded
within few minutes of the quake. India sets an example that we can provide aid on a higher level
s too at least with the neighbouring countries.Which will strengthen the relations between the
countries.

13. Earthquakes are impossible to prevent and extremely difficult to both detect and prepare for,
and the destruction they can cause in only a few seconds can and has led to huge casualties in
the past. Moreover, with the rapid pace of socio-economic development and urbanization, and
an increasing global population, buildings are becoming larger and more complicated,
increasing the potential total damage that could be caused by an earthquake.

14. In the event of an earthquake, emergency search and rescue efforts can often struggle,
especially in their initial stages, due to the absence of readily available rescue equipment and
personnel with emergency response skills. Consequently, strengthening cooperation and
exchange of knowledge, equipment and skills related to earthquake emergency search and
rescue response is becoming increasingly critical in areas where communities are at risk.

15. We cannot prevent natural earthquakes from occurring but we can significantly mitigate their
effects by identifying hazards, building safer structures, and providing education on earthquake
safety. There are many ways with which we can prepare for future disasters by building
earthquake-resistant buildings. These buildings will resist the vibrations caused due to waves
produced by the earthquake but sometimes it becomes very costly to build the whole structure
from the foundation level.

16. The other economic way to make your home earthquake-resistant is anchoring the
foundation of the building which will give more stability to the building and reduces the damage
due to the earthquake. The unreinforced walls should also be replaced with the reinforced walls
to prevent cracks in the structure.

17. The best way is retrofitting process to give strength to building and this method is very
common in high seismic zones which comes under zone 4. It is often done for large commercial
buildings due to which it is a very costly process and takes more time as compared to the other
process. This process was started in 1960 in the USA and Japan they had added this method to
their seismic codes and thereafter it is commonly used for many years with minor updations in
the techniques.

18. So what should we do for the future to reduce the damage and losses due to earthquakes?
from my point of view, there is a lack of awareness to the people that what to do, how to do,
during earthquakes how to help others, how we can contribute to the society in these situations
which is very important. Some people want to help during these times but they don't know
where they can help and how to help. These things should be taught in the classes.

19. This problem can only be solved on the grassroots level. There should be chapters in the
syllabus of the schools just to give an overview about these types of calamities and how to save
ourselves and how to help others. There should be special classes to teach earthquake
engineering and special drills should be done to train the students in the rescue and search
operations so that we can be ready for the upcoming disasters in future.

20. These are some websites that helped me getting images and some of the concepts
related to earthquake so if any of you want to know more information about these slides or have
doubt in any of the concept today you can always visit these sites.Thanks to all of u for giving
me your precious 7 minutes and thank you sir for being supportive.