The Human Impact of Earthquakes: a Historical Review of Events 1980-2009 and Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Introduction. Population growth and increasing urbanization in earthquake-prone areas suggest that earthquake impacts on human populations will increase in the coming decades. Recent large earthquakes affecting large populations in Japan, Haiti, Chile and New Zealand are evidence of this trend and also illustrate significant variations in outcomes such damage and mortality levels. The objectives of this review were to describe the impact of earthquakes on human populations in terms of mortality, injury and displacement and, to the extent possible, identify risk factors associated with these outcomes. This is one of five reviews on the human impact of natural disasters. Methods. Data on the impact of earthquakes were compiled using two methods, a historical review from 1980 to mid 2009 of earthquake events from multiple databases and a systematic literature review of publications, ending in October 2012. Analysis included descriptive statistics and bivariate tests for associations between earthquake mortality and characteristics using STATA 11. Findings. From 1980 through 2009, there were a total of 372,634 deaths (range 314,634-412,599), 995,219 injuries (range: 845,345-1,145,093), and more than 61 million people affected by earthquakes, and mortality was greatest in Asia. Inconsistent reporting across data sources suggests that the numbers injured and affected are likely underestimates. Findings from a systematic review of the literature indicate that the primary cause of earthquake-related death was trauma due to building collapse and, the very young and the elderly were at increased mortality risk, while gender was not consistently associated with mortality risk. Conclusions. Strategies to mitigate the impact of future earthquakes should include improvements to the built environment and a focus on populations most vulnerable to mortality and injury.

Disaster nursing knowledge in earthquake response and relief among Nepalese nurses working in government and non-government sector

“…[5,6] Nurses, as a large workforce around the world, must be prepared for a disaster as it can happen to any person, place or nation. ICN has emphasized that every nurse around the world must be prepared in terms of knowledge, skills and judgment regarding a disaster.…”

“…[10] In addition, the knowledge related to earthquake disasters from the literature review [5][6][7][19][20][21] was added in the framework. Based on the ICN disaster nursing competencies framework, knowledge on the response and recovery phases is the most important for nurses in the hospital setting.…”

“…For instance, the common injuries found after earthquakes are soft tissue injuries (including lacerations and contusions), fractures and crush injuries. [5,6] The most common mental illness after an earthquake disaster is psychological distress, depression, anxiety, cognitive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. [7] These impacts imply that there is a need to address these problems starting immediately after the disaster event and alert nurses to take their roles during the disasters.…”

The changing health priorities of earthquake response and implications for preparedness: a scoping review

“…Thus far, reviews have been carried out identifying immediate post-earthquake priorities in any country regardless of income status 2 , of public health interventions in a humanitarian crisis 7 , of operational humanitarian agencies in a post-earthquake low income country 8 , of acute medical complications associated with earthquakes 9 , of medical rehabilitation after natural disasters 10 , and of health effects associated with relocation after disasters 11 . Many are confined to a specific geographic area 12,13 whilst others have cited the lack of available good quality evidence 10,11 , a common problem encountered in disaster management research [14][15][16][17] .…”

Backpropagation Vs. Radial Basis Function Neural Model: Rainfall Intensity Classification For Flood Prediction Using Meteorology Data

“…Highly accurate weather forecast could help to prevent casualties and damages. Amongst all the weather happenings, floods are the leading cause of natural disaster death world-wide and were responsible for 6.8 million death in the 20th century (Doocy et al, 2013). Rainfall intensity is important for flood warning system.…”