Bharat Rakshak

Can our N-plants survive Japan quake, PM wants to know
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/can-o ... ow/762244/

Safety review ordered at nuclear plants: Manmohan

J. Balaji
http://www.hindu.com/2011/03/15/stories ... 761200.htm


Let’s learn from Japan
http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/article/ ... Japan.html

India Isn’t Ready for Earthquake
http://the-diplomat.com/indian-decade/2 ... arthquake/

Japan's nuclear disaster spooks India
By Sudha Ramachandran
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/MC17Df02.html


It is better to build a huge wall (15 metre) around the nulcear reactors which are near to seashore so that in case of Tsunami the water may not go into the reactors or generators. This is a good way to protect the reactors from any Tsunami effect.

'Kudankulam reactors are safe'
http://www.sify.com/news/kudankulam-rea ... adaih.html

The development of a mesoscale convective system over the Karakoram range is discussed. This study has implications for better response to a tragedy similar to the Leh cloudburst, landslide and flash flood disaster which took place early last year.

The occurrence of weather-related extremes has been increased considerably over low elevation plains as well as over the high altitudes in recent years. One such extreme precipitation event was recorded in Ladakh plateau. A diagnostic analysis and numerical simulation carried out using tools such as NCEP surface analysis data would confirm what was revealed through radar and satellite images revealed during the days leading up to the disaster. It has been revealed that the sudden evolution of the MCS was the direct result of strong surface convection in moist and unstable lower layers of the atmosphere. The subsequent rapid development was the combined effect of the presence of a mid-latitude trough in the westerlies in the north and a moisture supply through monsoonal flow along the Himalaya. The northward shifting of the subtropical high from the north of India, and the strong divergence zone on its east edge played a significant role in developing the upward motion. Movement of the system was controlled by the steering current in the middle troposphere. The model captured the location of heavy precipitation well at 15 and 30km resolution but failed to predict the amount of rainfall.

According to the surface weather map drawn at the local Met Office, a high pressure system existed over Tajikistan as well as China, and low pressure prevailed over Karakoram between the two highs. A trough of the westerly wave was also passing across north of PoK. Another strong low pressure center was located on the West Bay of Bengal and adjoining coastal parts of India. A mesoscale low was just located to the northwest, in Pakistan whose horizontal extent was initially about 200 km. The mesoscale low which appeared subsequently produced a heavy downpour on its way to moving to the table-land. It was quite different from typical monsoon depressions of the Bay of Bengal and the lows in the Meiyu front because it developed abruptly as a result of intense local convection. The
above-mentioned mesoscale low pressure system formed over the Jammu-Leh highway. At the same time there were also strong monsoon incursions from the Arabian Sea in the south-west and the Bay of Bengal. The southwesterly monsoon current from the Arabian Sea showed strong convergence over Punjab and Jammu Division. The strong southeasterly monsoon current from the Bay of Bengal reached right up to Gilgit agency after traveling along the foothills of the Himalaya. During ENSO events, rainfall becomes highly erratic over the Indian peninsula.

To know the reasons behind this movement of the system, the streamline analyses were carried out at the lower levels of the atmosphere. The difference of the streamlines at 700 and 850 hPa was compared. It was verified that there were southerly and southwesterly wind in Kashmir at 850 hPa whereas the northwesterly wind in the region mentioned above was at 700 hPa. Obviously, the movement of cloud cluster echoes was controlled by the steering current in the middle troposphere (700 hPa), rather than by that in the lower troposphere as at 850 hPa. This resulted in a southeastward movement of cloud clusters. It does not mean that the current in the lower troposphere was not of any importance. On the contrary, it played a very significant role in supplying of water vapor to the system at its development stage. it can be noticed that there were strong monsoon incursions from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal converging over Gilgit agency. It must be noticed that when these highly unstable and moist currents struck the east–west extended mountain terrain at right angles, a strong orographic lifting took place in this already convectively unstable region north of Kashmir. The direction of the southwesterly Arabian Sea current from the surface to 2000m a.s.l. was oriented in such a way that its maximum impact was focused over northern parts of J&K comprising the area of development of mesoscale low. In the northeastern part of the cyclonic circulation, there existed a strong convergence zone of moisture flux at 850 hPa, just 18 hours before the onset of the flash downpour. The minima of divergence of the moisture flux (DMF), i.e., the negative value region, was located in the Shivalik range with values as low as _40_10–7 g/hPa cm2 s. Strong convergence of moisture along with other above-mentioned parameters provided highly favorable large scale conditions for the formation and development of the heavy rainfall system. The next day, the negative value region of DMF was still situated in the same region, although the intensity was slightly weaker than the previous day. The continued convergence of moisture resulted in the production of highly unstable conditions and triggered the further development and intensification of the system.

Influence of cold air and terrain lifting

It is also worth mentioning that cold air from the middle latitudes also played an important role in setting a conducive stage in the occurrence of heavy rainfall in the presence of active monsoon currents. The analyses of geopotential height, as well as temperatures revealed that the western part of subtropical high extended up to the Hindukush, letting cold air to penetrate into Gilgit agency. Monsoon air masses are warmer and convectively unstable in nature, therefore its interaction with cold air of higher latitudes results in interesting developments of weather in the regions of their interaction. A trough of the westerly wave could be seen passing across Afghanistan in meteorological maps. Such an interaction can produce heavy, to very heavy rain over the track of the system. Isotherms of -41 C were found passing over Gilgit and -21 C isotherm was found over northern Ladakh. However, 48 hours later, cold air moved southward, the -41C isotherm moved into northern Kashmir and also the –21C isotherm extended further south and prevailed over the Jammu-Leh highway and Leh proper.

In this situation, the stratification would be more unstable due to the cold air invasion at the middle-upper troposphere in the region, and therefore it added to triggering the formation of a severe weather system. Of course, it was not enough if only large-scale environmental conditions were favorable. The triggering mechanism also played a key role in producing heavy rainfall in association with other factors. Due to warm, as well as moist air below and cold air advection above, a strong convective instability was generated in the vertical column of the atmosphere. With the continued supply of moisture, an intense weather system originated abruptly under the prevailing conditions which was thereby stimulated throughout its development process. Studies of a heavy downpour event in the arid climates of northern Madhya Pradesh showed that a mesoscale low merged with a tropical scale depression has a tendency to reactivate into a strong system due to convective instability and strong moisture convergence. In addition to this, Leh is located near the vertex of the inverted V shaped foothills of the Himalayas opening up to the south.

The southerly wind perpendicular to the slope lifted due to peculiar orographic features and produced stronger vertical motion. The augmentation of rainfall on the windward side of the mountain ranges is an established fact that is primarily related to orographic lifting. Convergence of both the monsoon currents from the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea and the terrain-lift forcing might have played an important role in triggering the appearance of the heavy rainfall. This could be confirmed from the increasing intensity of precipitation as the system moved from its origin towards the table-land. The maxima of precipitation reached over this area, and this might be the additional effect of terrain lifting forcing on converging monsoon currents. This extreme precipitation of the mesoscale convective system (MCS) was simulated by the Mesoscale Meteorological Model (MM5) at different resolutions but did not produce encouraging results regarding location and amount of precipitation. It seems quite reasonable to simulate such events by using Regional Climate Model RegCM3 with Emanuel parameterization scheme. ERA 40 has been used to arrive at the conclusions of the numerical analysis. Typically, running the model through ERA 40 at 15 kms resolution scale gives a good picture of the evolution of the cloudburst system, running the same model at a 30 kms resolution gives a satisfactory picture of the southward movement of the convective system.

Some mesoscale beta systems, even mesoscale gamma systems evolved simultaneously. They further developed in the favorable environment of the lower tropospheric low pressure system. These mesoscale convective systems influenced directly the intensity and position of heavy precipitation. It was the unique phenomenon termed as a ‘‘cloud burst.’’ The radar-echo data showed that the mesoscale system moved southeastward along the steering current in the middle troposphere
along the foothills to the east of the inverse ‘‘V-shaped’’ terrain, rather than the surface current direction to shift northwestward.

The position of the high pressure over J&K at 200 hPa was situated over the Northwest Pakistan area near Peshawar. Its eastern edge was just over the boundary in the Tibetan Plateau, rather than over East Asia. The strong divergence zone in the upper troposphere was located to the east, near the India-China border, which provided favourable conditions for intensification of upward motion and heavy rainfall.

References:

Kar, S.C., Sugi, M., and Sato, N., 2001. Interannual variability of Indian summer monsoon and internal variability in the JMA global model simulations. Journal of Meteorological Society of Japan 79 (2), 607–623.
Zhao, S.X., 1988. Energetics of Cyclogenesis on Meiyu (Baiu) Front. Proceedings of Palmen Memorial Symposium on Extratropical Cyclones, Helsinki, Finland, 205–208.

Pillai, at the day-long conference on disaster management ahead of monsoon, "warned that human trafficking gangs become very active during all disasters and there was a need to monitor their activities".

http://gulfnews.com/news/world/india/pi ... g-1.813489

I was thinking after looking at Sept 11 programmes that why not these high buildings keep parachutes in every floor in case the people jump of they can use them. Is this a rubbish idea? ofcouse people can fall all over sometimes over the electric lines and so on. Even the tall building think of having some big airbeds nearby the building in case of fire. In the case of earth quakes it will be good to have such systems in place.

someone thought similarly
http://www.nigerdeltacongress.com/karti ... r_life.htm

Earthquake at 6.8 Richter scale hit North India with epicenter 64 km from Gangtok, Sikkim 10 Km below earth's surface. Tremor felt from Jaipur to Guahati. No damage or casualty reported so far.

Power off i n Jalpaiguri and BSLN lines reported down in NE.

East & north India quake: 6 dead and counting
PTI | Sep 18, 2011, 10.12PM IST

GANGTOK: A powerful earthquake with a 6.8 magnitude rocked Sikkim and other parts in the northeast today leaving at least six persons dead and over 50 injured besides causing extensive damage to several buildings.

Four persons were killed in Sikkim - two at Singtham, one at Dikchu in East Sikkim district and another at Mangan - as the government sought Army's assistance in reaching help to the affected, state chief secretary Karma Gyatso told PTI here.

One person was killed in Jalpaiguri district in West Bengal and another in Nalanda district in Bihar.

The National Disaster Relief Force in on way to Sikkim and would reach Sikkim by tomorrow, Gyatso said.

Many tall buildings developed cracks in Gangtok and Darjeeling and window panes shattered as people came out in large numbers in panic. The earthquake claimed one life at Singtham in East Sikkim district, while another died just outside Singtham.

The epicentre of the quake - the biggest in two decades - was located at Mangan and Sakyong areas, over 50 km from Gangtok on Sikkim-Nepal border.

Tremors were felt in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, parts of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chandigarh and Delhi.

Several buildings developed major cracks in the state as personnel of the Disaster Management were deployed, Gyatso said.

Two buildings of the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) collapsed in Pegong area though there was no immediate report of any casualty, a senior official said.

Three after shocks of 5.7, 5.3 and 4.6 magnitude on the Richter Scale were felt in the region within 30 minutes of the first quake.

"Tremors were felt between 30 seconds to one minute in some parts of Sikkim, including Gangtok," Shailesh Nayak, Secretary in the Ministry of Earth Sciences, said in Delhi.

Gyatso described it as "a massive earthquake. We have alerted the armed forced and the paramilitary personnel."

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke to Sikkim chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling and offered help in all possible ways, including availability of defence forces.

The Prime Minister directed cabinet secretary to call an emergency meeting of the National Disaster Management Authority, PMO sources said.

Five IAF planes pressed into action for relief operations. Two teams of the National Disaster Response Force - five each from Delhi and Kolkata - are being sent to assist in the relief and rescue operations, R K Srivastava, Joint Secretary, Disaster Management, in the Home Ministry, said.

R S Basnet, principal secretary to Sikkim chief minister's Office said Army's assistance has been sought.

A woman was seriously injured in Gangtok near a cinema hall in the market area when stones from an wall fell on her, he said.

Reports said a building housing a small hotel in Sintam in East Sikkim district collapsed and people were being evacuated. Another house collapsed in Dikchu town in the same district. A portion of the market at Dikchu also collapsed.

Several buildings in Gangtok developed major cracks and people were seen moving to the Paljor stadium and other open areas.

Power and water supply connections got snapped and continuous rains during the last three days worsened the situation.

Around 200 people have been brought to the ITBP relief camp in Gangtok.

Army columns in small teams were deployed in rescue mission across Sikkim. The columns comprised medical teams with first aid, engineer detachments and relief and rescue units, an army official said.

The tremor was felt in Delhi and Kolkata as well as Ranchi, Darjeeling. Jalpaiguri, Siliguri, Birbhum and Bankura districts in West Bengal.

"Darjeeling and Kalimpong are now in total darkness," West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said, adding, "We have alerted all district magistrates throughout the state."

A Patna report said the tremor was felt in various parts of Bihar, including Darbhanga.

Neighbouring Jharkhand also felt the shock, according to a Ranchi report.

In the north, besides the national capital, the tremors were felt in Jaipur and nearby areas of Rajasthan.

Panic gripped people in Lucknow and some other places in Uttar Pradesh where the quake was also felt.

Response from NDRF has been pretty quick and five planes were dispatched from Delhi immediately.
Damages in Nepal seems to be extensive. Reports from interior of NE and Bihar are yet to reach though buildings seems to have suffered damages. National Highway from Bagdogara AF is blocked hampering movement of relief and rescue work. ITBP buildings seems to have suffered damages yet these personnel has rescued many stranded tourists.

Where are NSS and Scouts? Each state should come up with a national policy of disaster preparedness, particularly training at baer sic level with the voluntary help of students and others. I hope not many people would loose their lives before help reach them out.

Situation is quite bad. Roads - strategic ones are badly damaged. Serious damage to Army buildings and infrastructure in strategic areas. 50 Army columns out for rescue. 10 army engineers units are out to repair roads.

Is it possible in the future that an adversary can trigger off a quake close to our borders via an underground nuclear explosion and by the time we figure out it was not a natural one and fix the infrastructure has encroached our land ?

^^ I suppose quake would have characteristics different than nuclear explosion. Epicenter would be quite close to surface compare to quake. In present case epicenter was more than 10 km below the surface. Such a massive digging for Nuclear explosion would be detected soon.

Sikkim quake: Death toll rises to 40; rescue work stepped up

The death toll in the powerful earthquake rose to 40 with 19 people being killed in Sikkim, five in West Bengal, seven each in Nepal and Tibet even as rescue and relief operations were on Monday stepped up in the affected areas. Over a hundred people have been injured in the 6.8 magnitude tremblor which has caused extensive damage to buildings and roads in Sikkim and several other places.

The casualties have occurred mostly in the North District and in towns and villages like Rangpo, Dikchu, Singtam and
Chungthang located along the course of Teesta river, they said.

In Gangtok, power was restored this morning. Residents had spent the night outside their houses fearing aftershocks.
At least 20 aftershocks throughout the night had created panic in the city.

The epicentre of the quake - the biggest in two decades - was located at Mangan and Sakyong areas, over 50 km from Gangtok on the Sikkim-Nepal border.

The helpline number for West Bengal is 033-22143230.

The Gangtok Police Helpline numbers were +91-3592-202022 and +91-3592-202033.

^^ Any news on possible damage in Tibet since the impact was apparently more on that side?

sum wrote:^^ Any news on possible damage in Tibet since the impact was apparently more on that side?

http://www.rediff.com/news/report/seven ... 110919.htm

At least seven people have been killed and 22 others injured in Tibet [ Images ] as the earthquake that hit Sikkim and other North Eastern states in India [ Images ] also rocked the Chinese autonomous province leaving trail of destruction.

The earthquake has caused hundreds of landslides that have disrupted traffic, power and water supplies, as well as telecommunications in Yadong county, Tibet, which is 40 km away from Sikkim, the epicenter of the 6.9-magnitude quake.

Local authorities in Xigaze prefecture, who administers Yadong, have mobilised workers to use heavy machinery to clear debris from major roads in order to ensure the expedient transport of relief supplies, state-run Xinhua reported Monday.

The road traffic to the Himalayan county resumed on Monday.

Xinhua reporters arriving at the county this morning saw dozens of earthquake victims wrapped in cotton quilts camp on street enduring rain and sleet.

Dianzin Namgyai, secretary of the Xigaze prefecture committee of the Communist Party of China, visited victims in Galingang village, one of the worst hit in the quake.

He said all 156 houses in the village were damaged -- leaving villagers homeless.

"Relief supplies are on the way to Yadong," he said, adding that 500 tents have been sent.

Wang Changlin, rector of the Yadong county middle school, said the school had to stop classes today, as all 355 students are temporarily living in six tents.

The earthquake occurred at 6:11 p.m. local time on the India-Nepal border on Sunday evening. The epicenter was located 68 km northwest of Sikkim's capital Gangtok, at a depth of 19.7 km.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-14967812

In the capital Kathmandu, three people were killed when a wall at the British embassy collapsed. A budget debate in the country's parliament was suspended for 15 minutes when lawmakers fled the chamber as the entire building shook.

Just over the border in Tibet's Yadong County, just 40km (25 miles) from Sikkim, the earthquake caused hundreds of landslides disrupting traffic, telecommunications, power and water supplies.

Chinese authorities said relief supplies were on the way to the area.

Big earthquake in Sikkim, tremors across India; 54 dead, over 100 injured

New Delhi: At least 54 people have been killed, 42 in India, five in Nepal and seven in Tibet, and over 100 are injured after an earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter Scale shook Sikkim on Sunday evening. Strong tremors were also felt in parts of North and East India and parts of Bangladesh and Nepal, causing widespread panic. The epicentre of the quake is said to be just 64 kilometre North-West of Gangtok.

http://news.rediff.com/commentary/2011/ ... pdates.htm

10:46 AM Sikkim quake: Missing army bus found, jawans safe:

In the devastating earthquake in the north east, the Army has lost two jawans in North Sikkim. Army vehicles including a bus that went missing have been found and all personnel are safe.

In all 50 armed columns have been deployed. 7-10 cookhouses have been set up to provide food to the homeless. The Bagdogra airbase has been made the centre of all operations. The toll, for now, stands at 18 dead and over a 100 injured.

Sikkim earthquake toll climbs to 66, rescue work hampered by landslides

Sikkim accounted for 39 deaths alone, with most casualties taking place in the North District and in towns and villages like Rangpo, Dikchu, Singtam and Chungthang located along the course of Teesta river, officials in the district control room said.

Eight persons travelling in a bus of Teesta Urja Limited in North District are presumed dead as their vehicle got stuck under debris caused by a landslide, Narasimhan said. This, however, has not been incorporated in the official figure of those killed.

The overnight toll climbed to 66 which included six deaths in West Bengal and seven each in Bihar, Nepal and Tibet, official reports said. Over a hundred people have been injured.

Narasimhan said army has launched 'Operation Madad' in Gangtok and other areas by deploying over 2,500 troops."We are also sending teams to Darjeeling and Kalimpong (in West Bengal)," he said.

A group of 14 tourists were rescued by the army from north Sikkim last night, Narasimhan said.

In Delhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced Rs two lakh as ex-gratia to next of kin of those killed in the earthquake and Rs one lakh each for those seriously injured.

USGS upgrades Sikkim Earthquake to 6.9; Two minor aftershocks today

Posted on September 19, 2011 by iSikkim

National Earthquake Information Center of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has upgraded the largest Sikkim quake from 6.8 magnitude to a 6.9, and the other two at magnitudes 4.8 and 4.6. All three occurred within an hour and 15 minutes, the U.S. agency said. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has held on that the largest earthquake was 6.8 magnitude, 5.7 magnitude and 5.3 magnitude.

In terms of energy, each whole number increase in the intensity of earthquake corresponds to an increase of about 31.6 times the amount of energy released. Therefore, a 7.0 earthquake on the Richter scale releases 31.623 times more energy than a 6.0 and a 8.0 on the Richter scale releases 1000 times more energy than a 7.0. A 0.1 increase in earthquake on Richter scale suggests nearly three times more powerful earthquake. Hence the difference between 6.8 and 6.9 is significant. A 6.0–6.9 Strong earthquake is destructive in areas up to about 160 kilometres (100 mi) across in populated areas.

The US agency said that the region has experienced relatively moderate seismicity in the past, with 18 earthquakes of Magnitude 5 (M 5) or greater over the past 35 years within 100 km of the epicenter of the September 18 event. The largest of these was a M 6.1 earthquake in November of 1980, 75 km to the southeast.




USGS said that the depth of the earthquake was 19.7 km (12.2 miles) with an uncertainly of horizontal +/- 13.5 km (8.4 miles); vertical+/- 3.5 km (2.2 miles).




The IMD has said that a slight magnitude earthquake (M:3.9) also occurred at 06 hours 22 minutes IST on 19 th September, 2011 in the Latur district of Maharashtra. Though the event is located about 1500 kms away from the epicenter of the earthquake in Sikkim-Nepal border region of 18th September, 2011 and hence felt not directly related to it.

The most recent powerful earthquake in the area was the Sikkim earthquake of 14.02.2006 (M: 5.7) and Bhutan earthquake of 21.09.2009 (M:6.2). The IMD has also said that the entire area of Sikkim lies in Zone IV, which is considered fairly dangerous.

Earthquake news: Quake toll climbs to 71

GANGTOK: Battling landslides and torrential rains in quake-hit Sikkim, rescue teams got into full swing today as the death toll in the 6.8 magnitude temblor mounted to 71, including 41 in the Himalayan state.

Last evening's earthquake with its epicentre near the border with Nepal, left a trail of devastation damaging roads, buildings and other structures, uprooting mobile phone towers and snapping communication and power lines.

After shocks made people panic in several areas forcing them to spend the night outdoors.

The death toll may go up. Union Home Secretary R K Singh said nothing can be ruled out as people may still be trapped under the debris of collapsed houses since rescue teams were still trying hard to reach all villages.

Food packets were air dropped in the inaccessible quake-affected areas.

Two medical teams with doctors and paramedics reached worst affected Mangan and Sangthan with the help of helicopters and Border Roads Organisation has been able to reopen the Himalayan state's life line-the National Highway 31-A, Singh said.

Something on Quake survival that was received in the mail.

EXTRACT FROM DOUG COPP'S ARTICLE ON THE "TRIANGLE OF LIFE", Edited by Larry Linn for MAA Safety Committee brief on 4/13/04.

My name is Doug Copp. I am the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the American Rescue Team International (ARTI), the world's most experienced rescue team. The information in this article will save lives in an earthquake.
I have crawled inside 875 collapsed buildings, worked with rescue teams from 60 countries, founded rescue teams in several countries, and I am a member of many rescue teams from many countries. I was the United Nations expert in Disaster Mitigation (UNX051 -UNIENET) for two years. I have worked at every major disaster in the world since 1985, except for simultaneous disasters.
In 1996 we made a film which proved my survival methodology to be correct. The Turkish Federal Government, City of Istanbul, University of Istanbul, Case Productions and ARTI cooperated to film this practical, scientific test. We collapsed a school and a home with 20 mannequins inside. Ten mannequins did "duck and cover," and ten mannequins I used in my "triangle of life" survival method. After the simulated earthquake collapse we crawled through the rubble and entered the building to film and document the results. The film, in which I practiced my survival techniques under directly observable, scientific conditions, relevant to building collapse, showed there would have been zero percent survival for those doing duck and cover. There would likely have been 100 percent survivability for people using my method of the "triangle of life." This film has been seen by millions of viewers on television in Turkey and the rest of Europe, and it was seen in the USA, Canada and Latin America on the TV program Real TV.
The first building I ever crawled inside of was a school in Mexico City during the 1985 earthquake. Every child was under their desk. Every child was crushed to the thickness of their bones. They could have survived by lying down next to their desks in the aisles. It was obscene, unnecessary and I wondered why the children were not in the aisles. I didn't at the time know that the children were told to hide under something.
Simply stated, when buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects, leaving a space or void next to them. This space is what I call the "triangle of life". The larger the object, the stronger, the less it will compact. The less the object compacts, the larger the void, the greater the probability that the person who is using this void for safety will not be injured. The next time you watch collapsed buildings, on television, count the "triangles" you see formed. They are everywhere. It is the most common shape, you will see, in a collapsed building. They are everywhere. I trained the Fire Department of Trujillo (population 750,000) in how to survive, take care of their families, and to rescue others in earthquakes.
The chief of rescue in the Trujillo Fire Department is a professor at Trujillo University. He accompanied me everywhere. He gave personal testimony: "My name is Roberto Rosales. I am Chief of Rescue in Trujillo. When I was 11 years old, I was trapped inside of a collapsed building. My entrapment occurred during the earthquake of 1972 that killed 70,000 people. I survived in the "triangle of life" that existed next to my brother's motorcycle. My friends who got under the bed and under desks were crushed to death [he gives more details, names, addresses etc.]...I am the living example of the "triangle of life". My dead friends are the example of "duck and cover".
TIPS DOUG COPP PROVIDES:
1) Everyone who simply "ducks and covers" WHEN BUILDINGS COLLAPSE is crushed to death -- Every time, without exception. People who get under objects, like desks or cars, are always crushed.
2) Cats, dogs and babies all naturally often curl up in the fetal position. You should too in an earthquake. It is a natural safety/survival instinct. You can survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next to a sofa, next to a large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void next to it.
3) Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be in during an earthquake. The reason is simple: the wood is flexible and moves with the force of the earthquake. If the wooden building does collapse, large survival voids are created. Also, the wooden building has less concentrated, crushing weight. Brick buildings will break into individual bricks. Bricks will cause many injuries but less squashed bodies than concrete slabs.
4) If you are in bed during the night and an earthquake occurs, simply roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed. Hotels can achieve a much greater survival rate in earthquakes, simply by posting a sign on the back of the door of every room, telling occupants to lie down on the floor, next to the bottom of the bed during an earthquake.
5) If an earthquake happens while you are watching television and you cannot easily escape by getting out the door or window, then lie down and curl up in the fetal position next to a sofa, or large chair.
6) Everybody who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse is killed. How? If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls forward or backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the door jam falls sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In either case, you will be killed!
7) Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different "moment of frequency" (they swing separately from the main part of the building). The stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into each other until structural failure of the stairs takes place. The people who get on stairs before they fail are chopped up by the stair treads. They are horribly mutilated. Even if the building doesn't collapse, stay away from the stairs. The stairs are a likely part of the building to be damaged. Even if the stairs are not collapsed by the earthquake, they may collapse later when overloaded by screaming, fleeing people. They should always be checked for safety, even when the rest of the building is not damaged.
Get Near the Outer Walls Of Buildings Or Outside Of Them If Possible - It is much better to be near the outside of the building rather than the interior. The farther inside you are from the outside perimeter of the building the greater the probability that your escape route will be blocked;
9) People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road above falls in an earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which is exactly what happened with the slabs between the decks of the Nimitz Freeway. The victims of the San Francisco earthquake all stayed inside of their vehicles. They were all killed. They could have easily survived by getting out and sitting or lying next to their vehicles, says the author. Everyone killed would have survived if they had been able to get out of their cars and sit or lie next to them. All the crushed cars had voids 3 feet high next to them, except for the cars that had columns fall directly across them.
10) I discovered, while crawling inside of collapsed newspaper offices and other offices with a lot of paper, that paper does not compact. Large voids are found surrounding stacks of paper

Bade,
( With what happened in nuke dhaga, where admins think that discussing merits of something published may be akin to disturbing peace , I refrain myself from not commenting on too many things , but I hope you read the following and edit the above and put some editing comments regarding what you think is the merit of some of the claims above)



1) "Duck and cover" specially under a strong/heavy desk (or near inside walls) is a proven technique (more so in USA's building code), that is, it is strongly recommended by all reputable sites. In fact, near a heavy furniture ((vs under a desk)is a bad idea.
(See: for example: http://geology.com/articles/earthquake-safety.shtml

Teach all members of your family about earthquake safety. This includes: 1) the actions you should take when an earthquake occurs, 2) the safe places in a room such as under a strong desk, along interior walls, and 3) places to avoid such as near windows, large mirrors, hanging objects, heavy furniture and fireplaces.

2) Self-proclaimed rescue guru Doug Copp's expertness has been questioned quite often (such as he was an expert rescuer) by mainstream journals such as:
here
(His claims of ground zero work is being questioned)

3) His method(s), and claims have been called into questioned (Called "outrageous claims")
(http://www.cert-la.com/RejoinderToDougCopp.pdf)

(For example the "Istanbul" case with "ten mannequins" you mail mentioned, has very little in common with actual earth-quake. (No s-p-L waves when one rams the columns and collapses a building - the experiment was NOT to study earthquake but rather train rescuers to go in a rubble)

4) There are quite a lot wrong with that article (I am not going in details but you get the idea). It is dangerous to take its recommendation without critical examination.

In short, if there is a strong desk, or interior walls and you can't get out, take cover.
Hth.

Here is some excerpts from the link given above, wrt to claims in Doug Copp's email.
(Posting here, in case others have also received such emails)
Link:
THE NEED FOR AN EVIDENCE-BASIS FOR EARTHQUAKE SURVIVAL TIPS

.. Marla Petal, Ph.D. is Coordinator of International Program Development for Bogaziçi University, Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute's Disaster Preparedness Education Program. Her doctoral research is on the causes of deaths in the 1999 Kocaeli Earthquake and implications of these findings for public education. September, 2006

If you took the time to read Copp's advice and you thought it might have some merit, or if you passed it on to anyone else, please read this and pass this back up or down the lines. If you haven't, and just want a few good tips for earthquake safety you can skip all the way to #5 and #6.

(Check details in the link above for Copp's email - I will omit those details here, but will post #5 and #6 in full)

#1 THE MYTH OF ANTICIPATING THE "TRIANGLE OF LIFE
#2. The "IF I CAN SAVE ONE LIFE" FALLACY
#3. COPP'S OUTRAGEOUS ERROR
#4. COPP'S HALF TRUTH

#5. SO WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
•Think through personal scenarios in the places you live and work. What spots seem safer than others?
•Make your environment safer by fastening tall and heavy furniture and audiovisual equipment, Move heavy objects down low.
•Keep shoes and flashlight by your bed.
•During the shaking, drop down to the ground. Cover your head and neck. Hold on to your cover or something stable.

Why do we persist in saying these things? What is the proof? Research into the causes of deaths and injuries in several countries has now shown several important patterns: a) Fatalities are almost always associated with head, neck and chest injuries. These are the most vulnerable areas of the body that need to be protected. b) Many injuries are caused by falling. If you get down yourself, or brace yourself, you can avoid falling. c) A huge proportion of night time injuries are to feet and legs... even in places with minor damage.... picture frame on floor, no shoes, no lights, parents/children trying to find each other in the dark.... d) At least half of all injuries are from nonstructural objects. Many of these injuries are serious, made more so by the intense demand on
limited medical resources. We can't be complacent about any unnecessary injuries when limited medical resources will be needed to save lives. e) The smaller target you present to falling objects the less chance there is of something hitting you.
#6. AND NOW THAT YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT IT...
Urban earthquake mitigation requires all of us to be involved in three major activities: assessment and planning, reducing our physical risks, and developing our ability to respond.
ASSESS & PLAN
(Think and act now.)
•Sit down with your family and discuss possible scenarios.
•Decide on meeting places inside and outside of your neighbourhood.
•Identify an "out-of-area contact" for quicker communication and peace of mind.
•Designate others nearby to pick up your child from school in case of emergency, and make a meeting plan with them.
PROTECT YOURSELF PHYSICALLY
(Take measures to reduce your physical risks.)
•If you aren't sure about the structural soundness of you home, workplace or school, have it assessed by a qualified engineer.
•Retrofit where possible. Move out, and tear down where not possible.
•Fasten large and heavy furniture.
•Secure water heaters.
•Have a fire extinguisher on each floor and have it serviced regularly.
DEVELOP YOUR ABILITY TO RESPOND
(Be ready to be part of the solution.)
•Have enough water, food, and prescription medications for a week.
•Keep a first aid kit.
•Check your "Go Bag" in your car and by your door.Disaster preparedness is not accomplished overnight. It takes place in a series of small steps taken at home, at work, at school, in your neighborhood and in your region. It is accomplished by actions by individuals, families, organizations, institutions, and government.
The 100th anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake is not far away. This is a good time to make yourself a promise, and take one of these small steps today.
REFERENCES
American Red Cross (2004) American Red Cross response to "Triangle of Life" by Doug Copp.
Online at http://www2.bpaonline.org/Emergencyprep ... -copp.html).
Associated Press (2004) July 12. Online at
http://cms.firehouse.com/content/articl ... 1&id=32725 and
http://news.bostonherald.com/national/v ... 19&format=
Petal, Marla (2004) Urban Disaster Mitigation and Preparedness: The 1999 Kocaeli Earthquake,
doctoral dissertation, Department of Urban Planning, UCLA.
State of California, Governor's Office of Emergency Services, (2004) Sept. 7. Memorandum to
Operational Area Coordinators. Subject: Duck, Cover and Hold Procedure.

American Red Cross response to "Triangle of Life" by Doug Copp given in above link is also worth reading.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) has assured that there is a very little chance of another massive earthquake, yet people in Sikkim are scared of sleeping inside their houses. Thousands slept under the open sky or inside their cars, for the second night on September 9, in Sikkim. That too despite of rain and cold. More than 70 percent of the houses in Gangtok have damaged badly or have cracks. This is why people are avoiding sleeping inside.

On Sunday night, by 11 pm, an estimated 7,000 locals, with blankets and bedding, took refuge in the safe open field of Paljor Stadium. “There was so much panic – women were carrying their babies and crying,” Thupten Bhutia, in-charge of the stadium, told DNA.

iSikkim.com

IA is hit pretty severely, with damage to a lot of installations. Some posts are still cut off. And help to civilians is the first priority for IA and hence full extent of damage will only be know after civilians have been helped. Lots of IA folk have been sent out already to far flung villages.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/new ... 055847.cms

SIKKIM: More than 3,000 people were rescued in quake-hit areas of Sikkim by defence forces which scrambled hard to clear debris of collapsed structures and landslides as the death toll in Sunday's powerful temblor shot up to 92, including 53 in the Himalayan state.

Of the 53, 36 people died in the districts of North Sikkim, 12 in East Sikkim, four in West Sikkim and one in South Sikkim, a Relief Control Room official said in Gangtok.

Sikkim earthquake: 35 tourists airlifted, toll crosses 90

MANGAN/GANGTOK: Thirty-five tourists, including two from Norway, were airlifted on Wednesday by the Army from Lachung village, one of the worst-hit quake areas in Sikkim.

Also airlifted were 16 people injured in the quake, army sources said.

The tourists, some of whom were wounded, were airlifted from Ringzim helipad here.

Paljor Lachungpa, who is coordinating the evacuation, said Lachen was still cut off and more tourists could be airlifted from Chungthang later in the day. The tourists were in a state of shock.

.....

Toll mounts : Meanwhile, the death toll in the state rose to 60 overnight with seven more bodies recovered from East and North Sikkim. Official sources said today that six bodies were recovered from East Sikkim.

The overall deaths in the Sunday disaster has crossed 90, with 18 deaths reported from other parts of the country, eight in Nepal and seven in southern Tibet.

However, a bus missing with 24 passengers and crew has been rescued from Tung with all but one passenger alive.

AmberG, I do not visit BRF often as I used to, so just saw your reply with regard to the Copp mail that was circulated to us. Glad you responded with a critique. I will leave it as is for now, since your comments follow it and is useful as always. The links you provided can also be useful.

Sikkim quake wakes government to norms on disaster management

Under flak for being ill-prepared to respond to the Sikkim earthquake in time, the Union Home ministry is expected to revisit the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) guidelines.

The NDMA guidelines recommend stationing of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams in the capitals of all the north-eastern states, besides Port Blair and Srinagar, as all of them are highly earthquake prone — coming under the most vulnerable seismic zone V.

As the nodal ministry, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) is responsible for constituting, training and deployment of the NDRF teams.

“The NDRF teams could not reach the affected parts of Sikkim in time because they were not in the correct deployment mode,” government sources told DNA.

With the rescue and relief teams of the Army, the ITBP and the NDRF managing to reach interior areas, the real picture of the devastating earthquake in Sikkim started emerging only on Wednesday.

About 700 houses have collapsed, of which 500 have reported to be substantially damaged.Indian Air Force choppers have so far done 30 sorties to air drop relief and do reconnaissance.

The Centre constituted an inter-ministerial team on Wednesday to visit the affected places and give recommendations for assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund.

Rs 1000cr for Sikkim
- PM tours quake-hit state, open-fast order to army on border road

Gangtok, Sept. 29: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today announced an interim relief of Rs 1,000 crore for immediate restoration of infrastructure after a tour of earthquake battered Sikkim.

This amount, the first instalment, is in addition to the Rs 70 crore released by the Centre four days after the 6.9 quake hit Sikkim a little more than a week ago, taking the total central relief to Rs 1,070 crore.

Earthquake in Sikkim hits Chinese border posts

According to an assessment here, the Chinese People's Liberation Army has also suffered losses with its garrison at Yadong in Tibet, barely 40 kilometres away from Sikkim, taking the maximum hit.

Reports hint that troops from the Yadong garrison were involved in a massive rescue and relief operation in the region. Independent reports suggest that at least 2,000 soldiers were taking part in the relief operation though the exact number of casualties in the area could not be ascertained.

The operation was anchored by the Tibet military district with air support from the army aviation wing of the Chengdu military region.

Yadong has been one of the areas worst affected by the earthquake, with communication lines in the area having snapped completely.
l

Earthquake Preparedness Guide by NDM Division of Home Ministry
(Bilingual)

http://www.ndmindia.nic.in/EQ_G_H_Dwell ... ingual.pdf

Freak phenomenon along the southern coast of India

U.N. recognises terminology borrowed from Kerala fishermen

T. Peter vividly recalls the panic that gripped the coast for five days from May 17 in 2005. “The sea came surging in, inundating vast areas… It was an unprecedented phenomenon, occurring as it did in perfectly fair weather.”

With memories of the 2004 tsunami still fresh in the minds of people, the event sparked alarm all along the coast. As many as 12,000 people were affected as the tidal swell slammed the coastal belt, from Adimalathura to Pozhiyoor.

Residents fled their waterlogged houses; boats and fishing equipment were damaged. “It took several days for the situation to return to normality,” remembers Mr. Peter, president of the Kerala Swathantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation, who was at the forefront of relief operations.

Baffled by the freak phenomenon, scientists initially attributed it to an intensive pre-monsoon swell. The Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS) later conducted a detailed study, which traced the origin of the swell to a cyclonic storm off the west coast of Australia.

“Travelling thousands of kilometres across the entire ocean basins, the swell gets amplified when it encounters a coastal current directed southward, resulting in increased wave setup, a phenomenon referred to as remote forcing,” says Director of CESS N.P. Kurian, who was part of the study.

‘Kallakkadal,' the term used to name the freak flooding, was borrowed from the parlance of fishermen. “In local parlance, it means the sea that arrives like a thief, unannounced,” says Dr. Kurian.

In February this year, UNESCO formally accepted the term to explain the freak occurrence. Earlier, the World Meteorological Organisation and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission too recognised the terminology. “The formal recognition could perhaps pave the way for the term to be included in subsequent editions of dictionaries,” Dr. Kurian says.

Mr. Peter said the adoption of the term by the U.N. represented a marriage of conventional wisdom and scientific endeavour. “It calls for further studies to be taken up for hazard assessment and disaster mitigation.”

‘Kallakkadal' is known to occur along the southern coast of India, mainly during the pre-monsoon period, in April and May, marked by clear weather. The flooding turns severe on the days of spring tide. Though not well documented in scientific literature, the swells occur almost every year with varying intensity. They are characterised by long-period waves, with frequency of more than 15 seconds.

“The study highlights need for regular monitoring of Antarctic storms. A global database on storm surges will be a critical input for a numerical model that could help to predict the swell waves and coastal flooding,” says Dr. Kurian.

http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/scienc ... 306250.ece

New boundary

“There is a belief that a new boundary is developing in the Indo-Australian plate along the diffused zone of seismicity,” he said. “Some scientists speculate that this may become the new boundary between the Indian plate and the Australian plate.”

“The April 11 earthquake appears to have originated near the subduction zone,” he said. “Looks to be near the junction where the strike-slip fault meets the subduction zone, causing a triple junction.”

In the last 100 years of earthquake data, the 15-year-period between 1950 and 1965 witnessed a clustering of large quakes of magnitude greater than 8.5. “A similar clustering of large-magnitude earthquakes is now being observed since the December 2004 Sumatra earthquake,” Dr. Chadha said. “Starting from December 2004, there have been about six quakes of magnitude greater than 8.5 globally. It is following the same pattern of 1950-1965.”

The chances of another high-magnitude quake occurring at some place cannot be ruled out if this clustering is indeed happening. “Earthquakes occur randomly, but we are still able to see some kind of a pattern now emerging,” the NGRI scientist said.

Stupendous efforts by Air force, Army, BRO, ITBP and other organizations. Kudos and hats off to them.

http://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/viewto ... 1#p1474411

Uttarakhand needs all help that it can get from ordinary citizens and state Govts and the Centre.

Please donate to PM Relief Fund

https://pmnrf.gov.in/payform.php



Below is the CM Appeal for Uttarakhad CM Relief Fund Donation. It is in Hindi
http://www.cm.uk.gov.in/files/CM_SIR.pdf

Address in English

Chief Minister Relief Fund Uttarakhand
Office of the Chief Minister
Uttarakhand Secretariat Campus
No. 4 , Subhas Road
Dehradun
PIN-248001

By way of Demand Draft or Cheque.

Account Details

Chief Minister's Relief Fund A/C No 30395954328
State Bank of India Secretariat Branch Dehradun
IFSC Code IFSC CODE SBIN0010164

No SWIFT code for this branch so no international online transfers, only cheque/DD

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 735302.cms

Natural calamities are common in Uttarakhand, which lies in the fragile mountain belt of the Himalayas and has experienced tectonic turmoil several times in the past. Since the last quarter of 20th century, there has been an increase in the frequency of natural disasters in this region. Major disasters in the recent past include earthquakes of 1991 and 1999 in Uttarkashi and Chamoli respectively, landslides at Okhimath and Malpa in 1998 and cloudbursts and flash floods at Khetgaon and Budakedar during monsoon in 2002.

Aniruddha Uniyal, a senior geo-scientist at UP Remote Sensing Application Centre, Lucknow, says the disasters are getting frequent due to sudden increase in anthropogenic activities like unplanned cutting of slope, blasting of highly jointed rock mass for road construction and unplanned disposal of the slope cut debris. All these have further added to the fragility of the Himalayan mountains and made this region vulnerable to natural disasters.

The argument is also marshaled in support of their contention by most of environment activists like Medha Patkar, who see natural calamities as man-made in Uttarakhand. They stress the need for development with concern for environment. On the contrary, the need for the development of the region stems from the fact that its sizeable part borders China and thus leaving it undeveloped will be a security risk.

Three districts -- Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Pithoragarh fall on the McMahon line, which demarcates India and China. The underdevelopment of the region cost India heavy when the army found it difficult to fight against the advancing army of the China in 1962 war in the area. Thus it was then when these districts were conferred a status of border districts by the then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

The bottom line of the debate is thus the prevailing situation in Uttarakhand calls for a shift in approach. While the concern for environment is the need of the hour, it simply cannot ignore the need for development, which has to be kept in pace with the ever changing needs of the region and a growing aspiring population. Maoists, too, are gaining ground at some places in the hills, especially in the border districts, by highlighting the "underdevelopment of the region".

So there is a need to go in for development model, which is area-specific and not based on a borrowed theme. Thus the lesson comes from these incidents is to have development in harmony with nature, restriction on the overflow of the tourists, emphasis on disaster management with facilities for facilities of helipads at well-identified strategic locations and afforestation which could meet the need of fuel, fodder and timber rather than just going for pine tree, which was promoted by the British to flourish the resin industry.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 735145.cms

Today at the Airports Authority of India stretch I witnessed the combined effort and movement of the BRO (Border Roads Organisation) and the Indian Army at work. As the Army evacuates people by air, the BRO is on the land, struggling to make way for sufferers to reach back home or to a destination which leads them to safety.

The tragedy is made worse by the fact that little relief has come through from the state government in the calamity stricken area where every monsoon brings its own mood swings. Strange the state suffers this routine every year but no provision has been made to tackle any adversity or calamity.

Speaking to some officials from BRO who are responsible for clearing of blockades and landslides, TOI came to know how things work here at the ground level.

Kuldeep Kumar Razdan, chief engineer (BRO), Shivalik Project said, "We are working on our own strength with about 6000 troops and more than 3000 other working team members. We have funds saved from sanctions made in the year 2009-2011, and some from other funds allotted to us for ground work, which we are using to clear the path for people to return to safety. There were days when the blockades would take about months to be cleared, but now in a matter of few hours or two-three days, we manage to bail out the public. The situation depends on how aggressive the landslide or the blockade is."

"There has been no visit or financial help from the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) since the havoc came through and we see no co-operation from them. We are also providing food bundles, medicines and teams of our doctors are at the sites trying to comply with the demand of the situation," said Razdan." "We are working on how to clear the trekking route as well, but the road work is on a vigorous level as that makes way for the public to return back to homes and safety, said Razdan.

As long as nature is touched, it has to be either tamed by humans or respect the forces behind it. If humans disrespect nature, and go against it, then they have to face the final outcome. There is no point helping those people who have gone against nature, rather work with it/with least or no exploitation model.