The primary impacts of an earthquake are the immediate effects of the ground shaking. The secondary impacts are the effects that happen later on as a direct result. Here are some examples of each:
Primary:
- buildings and bridges collapse - people are injured or killed by buildings or bridges collapsing - roads, railways, ports and airports are damaged - electricity cables are damaged cutting off supplies - gas pipes are broken, causing leaks and cutting off supplies - telephone poles and cables are destroyed - underground water and sewage pipes are broken, causing leaks and cutting off supplies |
Secondary:
- earthquakes can trigger landslides and tsunamis and these can destroy more buildings and cause more injuries and deaths - leaking gas can be ignited, starting fires - people are left homeless - people may suffer psychological problems if they knew people who died as a result or if they lose their home. It can be very traumatic experience - there's a shortage of clean water and a lack of proper sanitation, this makes it very easy for disease to be spread - roads are blocked or destroyed so aid and emergency vehicles cant get through - businesses are damaged or destroyed resulting in some people suffering unemployment |
CLICK ON THE IMAGES BELOW TO EXPLORE SOME CASE STUDIES ABOUT THE DEVASTATING EFFECTS EARTHQUAKES CAN HAVE ON THE LAND AND THE HUMAN POPULATION
San Francisco, USA 1989 Kobe, Japan 1995 Kashmir, Pakistan 2005
L'Aquila, Italy 2009 Haiti, Caribbean 2010 Nepal, South Asia 2015