My Environmental Advocay Issues......Sharing too! The Valley Fault System and formerly as the Marikina Valley Fault System is a group of fault lines, which extends from San Mateo, Rizal to Taguig City on the south; running through the cities of Makati, Marikina, Parañaque, Pasig and Taguig. The fault possesses a threat of a large scale earthquake with a magnitude of 7 or higher within the Manila Metropolitan Area with death toll predicted to be as high as 35,000 and some 120,000 or higher injured and more than three million needed to be evacuated. Are we prepared for that catastrophic tremor? I believe the NEGLIGENCE on the part of the govt for failing to enforce proper zoning and building codes, as well as the IRRESPONSIBILITY of land developers for ignoring these risks have put many lives and properties under the threat of an imminent catastrophic earthquake. Prepared? NO. We never were. What Im seeing is TURNING THE WHOLE FAULT LINE AS A NEW FLOODWAY or a tree park. No buildings. Just open spaces for lets say, parking. Buildings can be built at least 20 meters away from the fault line or whatever PHIVOLCS says. If we turn the fault lines as a floodway, we may even help the faultline heal itself since some experts say the moist in the crevices helps heal the fault lines. It will take thousand or millions of years to take effect though but hey, who knows what other benefits it gives? REMEMBER OIL LUBRICANTS? It may even ease the friction and dampen tremors somehow. We cant do much about the fault line but to simply STAY OUT IT or use it for projects that will not be affected much by the tremors like canals or flood way, tree park, open parking lots, sports park, so on. Those houses must be relocated. Anything on top of the fault line will be destroyed since two separate plates will be moving in opposite directions. For those not directly on top, they will just move with the plate they sit on. There remains a tremor but not as destructive as those right on top of the fault line. So, for these buildings, they need to reinforce. One way is to learn from Japan. Buildings must be made to move as one (old theory but not practiced) and reinforced the bldg. Japan by the way, already warned our builders. JAPAN FAILED TO SEE MASSIVE USE OF STEEL FRAMES IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF TOWERS HERE. Many are still using the outdated method. Click here for that article. New buildings must follow how Japan did it for their towers. Enforce proper zoning and the building codes. Home developers must now work with Phivolcs, engineers, architects and consultants from Japan to realize the typhoon-safe home designs yet are still very functional and have good aesthetics. user posted image photo credit: insearchofsimplicity THINGS TO PONDER AT: 1. Wood is more resistant to earthquakes than concrete and even steel since wood is flexible. Better to use wood for high-risk areas. Bamboo provides the same resistance. Definitely, you cant use wood for high-rise buildings. 2. Homes must be rectangular or square to survive the tremor better, as per experts. Traingular homes are easier to fall. 3. Use steel frames instead of the usual mesh of small round steel bars, which are often just half a centimeter thick. 4. The whole house must move as one solid structure during earthquakes. Base must be solid and strong. 5. If a house is sitting on concrete posts (stilts) like those in flood-prone areas or near the beach, the base of the posts must be joined together by a concrete base. The posts can be reinforced by connecting them at the corners diagonally with concrete beams. This beams will ensure that the set of posts will not sway and break but move as one solid frame. Reference 6. Homes must not be too high. One-storey building is more resistant than a 5-storey building. 7. With the one-storey house, in case it collapses, there is much less debris that will fall on the occupants who happen to be inside during the quake. This means that there is a greater probability that the occupants will survive than those inside a 5-storey building that collapsed too. 8. Consider the Triangle of Life when designing homes. TOL are spaces created around materials like tables, cabinets and other things when the ceiling have collapsed on them. More pillars, girders, beams and rooms may mean more TOLs created when the house collapses. Even the staircase can help create another TOL. And of course, more steel cabinets around or a sturdy sofa or a double-decker will mean more possibility of the TOL being created. 9. Escape plan. Plan ahead. When an earthquake hits the first time, know where to run. Stay at the safest spot like an open space, far enough from the dangers of falling debris. If you cant run outside, go up to the highest floor, so that in case the building collapses, rescuers will simply need to remove the top ceiling to free you out instead of removing layers of concrete floors. 10. When an earthquake strikes and you cant get out anymore, lie down right beside the back of your sofa or beside your cabinet or bed. You may use a large pillow to protect your body from the falling debris. Other spots are your bathroom and storage room since these are small confined spaces protected by their own set of walls that has a good chance of creating survivable spaces during an earthquake. If you can get under the table or bed, you must do so to protect yourself from the falling objects. 11. The wider or longer laterally a building is, the more chances of breaking in half or worse. 12. The taller a building is, the more chances of falling over. 13. Choose better grounds. If you are still planning where to build your home, check the hazard map now. 14. The better the materials used are, the more resistant the house will be. 15. Be prepared. Keep a box or bag or survival kit containing the things you need, beside your bed or in a room where you often stay. (Ex. whistle, flashlight, bottle of water, chocolate bar, mask, medicine, etc.) 16. Check the things around your bed and living room. Check whats on top of your cabinets or shelves. Objects that may fall when earthquake strikes must relocated to other areas or be secured by straps or stoppers. Tall ceramic or earthen pots must be placed in far enough from your sofa or bed. Never put them on top of tables, cabinets or pedestals. TRIANGLE OF LIFE: If you look closely at collapsed buildings either in pictures or on TV you will rapidly discover that you see ‘triangular spaces’ formed throughout collapsed structures. It is as natural and normal as gravity or the ‘shape of snowflakes’. They are formed everywhere around objects when buildings collapse. That was how Doug Copp, the one who gave the theory, explained it. This so called Triangle of Life is not a guarantee BUT it will at least provide more chances of creating survivable spaces during an earthquake. This theory has been criticized though. In every theory, there will be always be critics. You dont need to be a scientist to understand the concept. You simply need enough amount of understanding and your COMMON SENSE. To claim that TOL is a guarantee is wrong. To claim that TOL wont work is wrong as well. Somehow, the criticisms will help refine the general interpretation nonetheless. TOL can indeed happen and it can save lives but may not work every time due to the variables likes how long the tremor attacks, the building materials, the things (like cabinet or sofa) inside the house at that time, type of tremor, intensity and so on. You also need to consider the weight of whats going to fall on you. A table or sofa may be enough to save you from your collapsing ceiling, if you dont have a second floor anyway. A wooden table alone cannot stop a ton of concrete floor. Nonetheless, consider this. If a floor that weighs 4 tons collapses, 80% of the load is held by fallen slabs, frames and pillars. The remaining 20%, where you are at, surprisingly is being held from completely crushing you by a set of furnitures including a steel cabinet and piles of debris around. See photo below. Do you also know that a ton of concrete floor can be stopped by a paper? Impossible? Try this. Gather old newspapers and books. Pile them up to form 4 posts of around 2 feet tall. Now, ask your friends to help you place your refrigerator or anything thats heavy. Do you see the logic there? Paper is a solid material. Even tons of concrete wont be able to compress it under normal circumstances. Same with a collapsed building. A pile of books on top of a collapsed wooden table on top of a fallen concrete post will somehow get you some survival space. Then again, this can only happen when all the needed factors come together. This reminds me of the 1990 Cabanatuan killer quake that destroyed a multi-story school building. A young girl was pinned down by the rubble. The girls head was at the edge of the pile of concrete. Her whole body was pinned down between the collapsed floors. She didnt die outright since there was still a space created. She was even being interviewed by Noli De Castro and the girl, though weakened and injured, was even responding to Nolis words. She was begging the men around to save her. Sadly, that girl died eventually because the rescuers were having a hard time removing the layers of concrete. Its just a usual room in a typical school building. Imagine if there were enough piles of books and sets of sturdy cabinet and table around. Those things could have given the girl more survival space. The girl could have survived if such survival space, that Triangle of Life, were enough. Dont you wanna get that triangle of space or will you simply let the critics dictate your life? Remember, critics are just human too. What if you are the better thinker after all? So, dont just settle to what other people say despite of their claim they know better. That includes me too. You may even know better. Follow your gut feel but be humble enough to listen still. The conclusion? Triangle Of Life can be created and it can save lives but may not happen every time due to other factors. Nonetheless, better to get that slim chance than have nothing to depend on at all. Summing it up, remember that Cabanatuan girl, what if those FEW INCHES OF SURVIVAL SPACE CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE? Recommended Reads: GIS-Based Earthquake Damage Assessment Considering (PDF file) eqtap.edm.bosai.go.jp/publications/...pdf/ACEE-23.pdf The Disaster Risk Management Master Plan of Metro Manila (PDF file) preventionweb.net/files/1499_3c...MMPMMBR0702.pdf Earthquake risk to Metro Manila (maps) preparemanila.org/content/earthquak...sk-metro-manila Mga Dapat Tandaan Sakaling Maipit Sa Pagguho Matapos Ang Lindol gmanetwork/news/video/18103...apos-ang-lindol Mga gusali at subdivision sa West Valley Fault, posibleng mapinsala pag lumindol gmanetwork/news/video/18105...la-pag-lumindol Reference: Doug Copp: Being Safe In and After an Earthquake insearchofsimplicity/2011/01/13...-an-earthquake/ Triangle of Life - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_of_Life RP buildings must be seismic-resistant like Japan z6.invisionfree/flipzi/index.php?showtopic=459 Marikina Valley Fault System en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marikina_Valley_Fault_System Marikina Valley fault line, earthquakes and what to do... rosancruz/2011/03/marikina-...d.html?spref=bl Is Metro Manila prepared for a major earthquake? gmanetwork/news/story/18376...ajor-earthquake ABS-CBN News - Remembering 1990 Luzon Earthquake youtube/watch?v=nNOa7vyIKSw 1990 Luzon Earthquake (damage in Baguio) youtube/watch?v=gndFql5_i78
Posted on: Sat, 05 Jul 2014 08:27:34 +0000
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