Archived Press Releases
El Salvador earthquake could have been reduced with international help for risk assessment, planning and preparedness, recent study fundings show
Released: January 17, 2001
Palo Alto, CA - Earthquake devastation can be greatly reduced by inexpensive actions taken ahead of time. Earthquake experts at GeoHazards International (GHI) are familiar with the perils faced by many Latin American countries and know how to help them reduce these risks before major disasters hit, instead of afterwards. A recent study released by GHI indicates that the lack of earthquake preparation and the threat of earthquake induced landslides in San Salvador was known before hand, and these and other problems in threatened cities worldwide will continue to cause devastation until addressed, by the international community.
"Saturday's major quake is a huge tragedy. It indicates all that should have been and could have been done," said Dr. Brian Tucker, a Geophysicist and President of the nonprofit organization. "There must be a global response to this disaster, not only to help recover, but to help reduce the damage from the next one." Tucker and other experts at GHI have been studying and reporting on the special vulnerability of developing countries since 1993. Population growth in urban areas, poor construction, political upheavals, and a lack of government resources add up to a fragile balance. As they grow and begin to prosper, countries in Latin America and elsewhere cannot invest in city-based planning and preparedness for emergencies. So, when disaster strikes, the losses are monumental. "Our work in Latin America shows that, with help from developed countries and world-wide organizations and corporations, this situation can be changed," said Dr. Carlos Villacis, a GHI Earthquake Engineer who has worked with Quito, Ecuador and other Latin American cities. "This tragic loss of life and livelihood could have been reduced greatly. When we work with a city like Quito or San Salvador, we help the people and their leaders."
GHI has completed several city-based projects to assess local vulnerability, raise awareness and motivate action by proposing plans to reduce future risk. Cities can then understand the risks, change their building practices, protect schools and plan for communications and emergency response systems. Tucker says that investing in scenario forecasts, action plans and education of the people and leaders is not very costly and can mean a much lower cost to respond and recover from earthquakes and landslides. GeoHazards International is a non-profit organization working towards the reduction of death and suffering due to earthquakes in the world's most vulnerable communities. GHI has worked extensively on earthquake risk in Latin America and Asia for the last 8 years, and in San Salvador, El Salvador for the last 3 years. Based in Palo Alto, California, GHI staff are internationally recognized as experts in the field of community seismic risk assessment and planning for risk reduction in third world cities. "It is sad," said Tucker. "The people of El Salvador and their neighbors are doing the best they can to recover. It is chaotic, and they have help from relief agencies and other governments. But we need to do more work ahead of time to avoid the chaos, confusion, and damage that results in these vulnerable parts of the world."
Through its Global Earthquake Safety Initiative, a project that assesses the risk of loss of life from earthquakes in cities worldwide, GHI recently determined that many of the necessary actions to reduce casualties in San Salvador are low cost and could be feasibly implemented. For example, several of the problems faced by emergency response teams could have been avoided by coordinating agencies so that they know the role they need to play in emergencies, and that community leaders have the ability to make decisions without waiting for lengthy bureaucratic processes. GHI hopes to continue its work in Latin America, especially on the heels of the recent earthquake. So far, earthquake vulnerability data has been collected for 21 cities worldwide. Aspects of each city that contribute to its overall risk have been analyzed. The results indicate that while San Salvador has the highest overall risk of earthquake-induced landslide risk among Latin American cities, there are other cities among those studied that have greater overall risk of life loss, and possibly more that have not yet been studied. Landslides in San Salvador are a GHI focus because as urbanization rapidly increases, more people move to the city's outskirts in the hilly landslide-prone areas. In a joint study with the United Nation's Center for Regional Development, experts from GHI determined that during an earthquake, landslides are the single greatest risk threatening the people of San Salvador. Preparation and planning are the cornerstones to preventing life loss and economic collapse in communities at risk from earthquakes, and the lack of such planning is presently hampering rescue and recovery efforts in San Salvador.
"Unfortunately our predictions are coming true today," said Villacis. "While the eyes of the world are turned again to Latin America, we should see and support the preparedness work which so many countries have been unable to afford. Developing countries will never become developed if they are constantly devastated like this." Authorities and international experts are predicting that the losses from Saturday's quake will exceed the losses in El Salvador from Hurricane Mitch, which tore through the entire region only 27 months ago, in October and November of 1998. Costs to avoid loss through preparation and planning are insignificant compared with the billions of dollars that are now expected will be needed to help El Salvador recover from the quake. For example, in the 1986 earthquake that last struck El Salvador, it is estimated that losses totaled 31% of the Gross National Product. GeoHazards International works with communities that are most in need and are most ready to be helped. San Salvador has been a focus of recent work since it is well poised as a newly democratic, economic hub that is stable and ready to work towards reducing the threat of natural disasters. However, developing countries cannot make progress or even survive if they are devastated by major geological disasters, such as hurricanes and earthquakes, every few years.
"It is essential that communities such as San Salvador be given the help they need to prepare in advance for natural disasters, to reduce the cities' vulnerability and ensure that the necessary services and programs are in place when needed," said Tucker. He explained that while it is possible and feasible to lower the risk of life loss and economic loss, nations that can afford to help must do so. "A tragedy in El Salvador's cities and towns is a tragedy for the entire world," said Tucker.
Additional graphics, statistics, disaster mitigation examples, and Spanish language translation are available.
#######