geography case study

• the 2010 Chile earthquake was 8.8 on the richter scale
• around 500 people died and 12,000 injured in the Chile earthquake
• this means that hospitals will be under pressure as they have to treat people who have been injured. this will cost a lot for the country
• plate boundaries occur where two plates meet
• earthquakes are caused when tectonic plates move against one another or slide past each other
• infrastructure is damaged by an earthquake which can cause problems with transporting goods around the country
• 56 hospitals were destroyed in the Chile earthquake
• it means that other hospitals in the area will be crowded and some may not have access to travel to get aid from the hospital so disease can spread and more deaths
• the chilean government spent $30 billion on rebuilding infrastructure, homes and businesses
• Santiago airport was badly damaged
• this means that products couldn't be imported or exported via the airport and people couldn't leave or enter by the airport
• A secondary effect was that 1500km of roads were damaged mainly by landslides
• so people couldn't get access to aid and disease could spread easily and more deaths could occur
• The Chilean government provided temporary housing for those who lost their houses
• this caused problems with transporting goods and services around the country
• Chile's wine industry was badly damaged in the earthquake
• this could effect the country's economy as it would take time to rebuild the industry and people who had this as their main source of income could lose more money
• immediate responses were temporary repairs made to the route 5 north south highway within 24 hours, enabling aid to be transported to the affected areas
• power and water was restored to 90% of homes within 10 days
• a national appeal raised $60 million, enough to build 30,000 small emergency shelters
• this meant that people were more prepared if another earthquake was to occur and this would help ensure their safety
• A long term response, a month after the earthquake Chile's government launched a reconstruction plan to help nearly 200,000 home affected by the earthquake
• This battled homelessness in the country and meant that people could finally have a home of their own after losing their home in the earthquake
• The Nepal earthquake occurred in 2015
• It had a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale
• 9000 died and 20,000 injured in the Nepal earthquake
• This meant that it put a strain on hospitals as they more people to deal with and might run out of or have a lack of aid as the earthquake was not suspected
• cost of the damage was estimated at $5 billion
• 7000 schools were destroyed
• meant that many students didn't have access to an education until the school was rebuilt, parents looking after children couldn't attend work meaning less money, and therefore less tax to the government to rebuild and replace things that were destroyed
• a Secondary effect was avalanches on mount Everest killed at least 19 people
• landslide blocked the Kali Gandaki river causing people to be evacuated in case of flooding
• reduced tourism from mount Everest and the Dharahara tower; a world heritage site meant less money for the economy and possible loss of job
• an immediate response was water and medical supplies arrived quickly from the UK and China
• This meant people would get access to aid, less disease and deaths. Nepal relied more on foreign aid than Chile who's economy was more developed and could manage on it's own
• 500,000 shelter tents were provided by the charities
• long term response, stricter laws on building codes mean that damage and destruction could be prevented if another earthquake was to happen
• New trekking routes opened on mount Everest by july 2015 and some heritage sites re-opened meaning that there were more opportunities for jobs and more money meaning more tax and that means infrastructure can be rebuilt
• tropical storm study; Typhoon Haiyan happened in 2013 in the Philippines
• 6300 people were killed meaning people will be devastated