I told myself that I'm gonna die, and everything is lost and no one can help me, when I saw natural disasters. The limitation of the human kind against power of nature, is realized when, people saw floods, tornados, volcanoes' eruptions, earthquakes, or landslides.
An earthquake is the biggest destructive natural disaster all over the world. Today people felt frequently earthquakes than past years. The shaking and trembling movements of the earth's surface are called the earthquakes. According to the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) there are ten levels of intensity of the earthquake. However, they do the work which is impossible to be done by government or politicians. Ignazio Silon quotes," An earthquake achieves what the law promises but does not in practice maintain - the equality of all men" (Ignazio). On one hand earthquake, collapse worlds, on the other hand after an earthquake, people help each other without worrying about any cast, status, color.
Nowadays, science has advanced technology, and we have more knowledge about earthquakes than 17th century. However, scientists cannot predict the earthquake. They could tell that where it will come, and which place has the most probability to occur the quake. But they could not tell when and at which magnitude it will occur. Some people believe that earthquakes are predicted by animals like dogs, toads, bears, sneaks. Animals have sense about the earthquake. Dogs bark continuous before the earthquake, toads move from their places to another place, snakes and bears come out from their cave.
Generally, people believe that earthquakes occur because something happened under the underground. USGS described the quakes as the result of seismic waves, which released energy as vibrations under the earth. According to Lisa Wald, the earth's surface is created by plates of rock, mantle, and rough crust. The plates' edges and boundaries have many faults. When these plates move the earthquake occurs at these fault lines. The plates stopped moving when they moved enough. Between the "tectonics" plates of the earth's surface, strong stress created. When this stress released quickly, the vibrations of seismic waves would go upside of the earth, and earthquakes occur. Other earthquakes occur at fault lines or near the fault lines (Wald).
The earthquakes last for less than a minute, and huge buildings, structures wiped in tenth part of a second. People can only think about of themselves, when earthquake occurred. The below the image from photo gallery of Earthquakes, National Geographic, shows the 800 miles (1300 kilometers) long fault line between pacific ocean and north America.(Photo Gallery).
Lisa Wald also described that before or after the earthquake the many constructions start to fall down because of slowly vibrating shocks, which are called aftershocks. Under the earth's surface, there is a center of earthquake, focus and the point above the focus is called epicenter of the earthquake (Wald). Sometimes, aftershocks do more demolishing than the earthquakes. After the earthquake people were freighting and they were running back in forth in the houses or outside of the houses. People thought about their important things and properties which were in their houses or they worried about the family members, relatives who left inside the houses. Some time they forgot that there is still possibility of aftershocks, and lost their lives.
Earthquakes come up in many ways. David J. Wald and James W. Dewey described about different ten levels of intensity. Even a Small event produced at intensity of level IV to V at 4.4 magnitudes. This intensity felt by some people, hanging object, glasses, glass dishes crash in the house. The walls have cracked plasters and the buildings have cracked windows. An earthquake can also affect the clarity and level of water. Whereas, a large event can produce intensity of levels VIII to X at 7.1 magnitudes This intensity felt by many people and they find it difficult to stand; some are forced to thrown on the ground. In house, furniture falls from the shelves, big furniture moves bizarrely. Specifically, intensity level of VIII buildings which are resistant of earthquake slightly damaged and poorly designed structures fell down. At the tenth level of intensity very severe damaged happens to the resistant buildings, ordinary buildings collapse and trees damaged, rocks fall, landslides and liquefaction happened with increasingly severity (Wald & Dewey).
After that recently Haiti had major earthquake of 7.0 magnitudes on January 12, 2010 at 4:53 pm. The quake's epicenter hit just 10 miles west of Porte-au-Prince. The quake sent 33 aftershocks ranging in magnitude from 4.2 to 5.9. Three million people need of emergency after this major earthquake. More than 9000 peacekeepers are living in Haiti since 2004 which includes 1,266 Brazilians ("Fast Facts").
The Miami Herald highlighted the story of James Gulley, a Colorado citizen who came in Haiti for three day trip with Commission on Relief. He and other four stuck in six by eight foot space with only feet of overhead space for 53 hours before the French rescue team came and got them out. Gulley told that it was so dusty and they hardly take breath. They had no water for hours (Gulley).
On The Huffington Post, David McDaniel, blogged on January 14 about how they help injured people in Haiti. He wrote that many people were sleeping on the road. They felt unsafe in homes because rock houses had holes and the cracks of walls were so large, they could fall down on them with little jerk (McDaniel). U. S. people helped Haiti in best ways they can do it. People give donations, and send primary things like food, clothes, etc. The Huffington Post also stated that U. S. families adopted 254 Haitian children. Jennett Benedict, a two year child describes it: I was just shaking...Just hysterical. Just -- I don't think any way I can describe it. Her parents who adopted her, asked US Gov. to issue visa and passport to take their child with them to United States (Swan).
Many people came in Haiti as travelers and they started to help injured people. Jesse Hogopian is one of travellers, he had no medical experience but he gave treatment to survivors of quakes. People came with broken bones, fractures and head injuries and he gave them medical aid (Hogopian).
Earthquakes occur in many different countries in the world. In year 2009, 17 earthquakes of 7.0 magnitudes occurred in worldwide. In year, 2008 more than 88,000 people die worldwide in earthquakes ("Fast Facts").
Personally, I have experienced aftershocks when I was eleven, in year 2001. It was the most deadly earthquake in Indian history. Gujarat 2001, an article on Gujarat earthquakes gives data on that the epicenter of quake was Bhuj, Rann of Katcha in Gujarat. The magnitude of 7.6 trembled Gov. of India. The official death numbers are 19,727 and number of injured are 166,000 ("Gujarat"). Coincidently, the day was our republic day, 26th January. On that day, I came from school after celebrating republic day, and entering in door of house. My mom shouted to get out of the house. Every one of my family, neighbors were on streets. Across my house there is a multi-story building, which swinging like a podium of clock. After two seconds it collapsed in front of my eyes. Some people who are in that building die under the ceilings and walls. After some hours the emergency rescue team took a half body of person and many more bodies of dead people from building. It was terrible moment for me; I just prayed God for saving us from it. Few people were survived from quake and few more were injured badly.
The next day on January 27, made this event worse, when we heard in news that 25 children with teachers dead under the school building ("Gujarat").Because of that bad event, still everyone had fear about entering in their own houses. The other people who had lost their houses, they started to live in tents. Govt. started to give treatments to injured and other necessary like food, water, medicines. After some days, the schools again started to teach children in tents. They showed great sprit against the curse of the nature. This is the truth that numerous people dies in natural disasters like earthquake.
I always tried to see the positive side of any event. I learnt another lesson of God that we are all same and we are son of almighty God. Every person tried to complete basic need of food, medicine, clothes without seeing victim's cast and social or financial status. At that we are all same. India received help from America, China, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Russia and Turkey, Australia. I realized that I am living in a global village and that includes whole world. I felt the feeling of love as human to another human being.
Works Cited
"Fast Facts: Haiti Earthquake" World (2010) Fox News.com. Web. 2 April. 2010
Gulley James "Survival stories from Haiti evacuees arriving in Homestead" The Miami
Herald (2010). Web. 2 April, 2010 .
.Hogopian Jesse "Stories from Haiti: How People Are Coming Together To Help Each Other"
(2010).The Huffington Post Web. 1 April, 2010.
Ignazio, Slion "My Quotation" Earthquake Web. 8 April 2010.
"26th January 2001 Bhuj earthquake, Gujarat, India" Gujarat 2001 (2008). 2 April. 2010.
McDanial David "Stories From Haiti: How people are coming together to help Each other"
(2010). The Huffington Post Web. 1 April, 2010.
"Photo Gallery: Earthquakes" Environment Natural Disasters National Geographic. Web.
15 April 2010.
Swan, Erin "Stories from Haiti: How People Are Coming Together To Help Each Other" (2010).
The Huffington Post Web. 1 April, 2010.
Wald, Lisa. "The Science Of Earthquake" The Green Frog News (2009). Web. 8 April 2010.
Wald David J. and James W. Dewey "Typical Effect of different Intensity Levels"
Earthquake Hazard Program. U.S, Geological Survey. Web. 2 April, 2010.
