"Does the level of development of a country affect the number of deaths caused by earthquakes?"

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“Does the level of development of a country affect the number of deaths caused by earthquakes?”

Introduction

To answer this question I am going to need a set of statistics, from a secondary source as it is not realistically possible for me to gather this information for myself. I need to know where the earthquake happened, the date of the earthquake, the number of deaths caused by the earthquake and the size of the earthquake. It is important to know the size of the earthquake as it is not fair to compare an earthquake of size 7 to one of size 4. I am going to use GNP per capita (Gross National Product) to measure the level of development of a country. I feel that GNP is the best way to measure development for this exercise. GNP gives an easy sum with a wide variation of results and is easy to relate to.

I predict that the number of deaths caused by an earthquake will be strongly affected by the level of development. However I think that other factors will affect this and development is not the only factor in this investigation. The following subheadings will explain more thoroughly what affects the amounts of deaths caused by an earthquake.

Health

MEDC’s (More Economically Developed Countries) have far better medical resources than LEDC’s (Less Economically Developed Countries) and have more money so they can get the emergency services to the scene of an earthquake quicker. The rescue workers also are better trained and have better equipment to treat the injured. LEDC’s often rely on overseas help which takes time while the people may be dying in the wreckage

Emergency Services

In MEDC’s with an earthquake risk, such as Japan and New Zealand, there are well thought out emergency procedures. Practices in schools and places of work mean that people know what to do it the event of a natural disaster. The Government’s and military have special emergency plans to help with the situation. LEDC’s do not really have emergency plans such as these so when an earthquake occurs, the people panic and have no idea what to do.

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Building Quality

In San Francisco and Japan where there is risk of an earthquake the buildings are all built to a strict building code which is enforced by law. Many buildings are made out of wood so they are more flexible. In LEDC’s however the buildings are made of hard mud or stone and collapse instantly trapping the people inside. Concrete is also a poor building material as it cracks easily.

Recovery

MEDC’s recover quicker from a natural disaster, this is because they have the investment and technology needed to return the area as it was before the ...

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