The article clarifies the issue of earthquakes in the United States, investigate the weaknesses of the American system, and explore the benefits of the Japanese technique that the government should implement.
An earthquake is perhaps one of the most extreme natural disasters that may cause tremendous damage to the infrastructure in a short period. Besides the damage caused to constructions and monuments, human lives could be at serious risk during an earthquake. It may be impossible to prevent an earthquake, but its damage and risks could be reduced by adopting sustainable construction approaches from countries prone to earthquakes.
Nowadays, the buildings in the United States are primarily conventional, as there is a notion of temporary buildings, which are usually demolished after half a century and re-built. Traditional buildings are more prone to shaking during an earthquake, and their movement is strongly correlated with the force of an earthquake. A strong earthquake may seriously damage an ordinary building, as its structure is not directed towards absorbing the earth’s movements. As a result, essential parts of construction may shatter, turning the building into a hazardous object. Countries in seismic regions such as Japan did not follow the temporary construction trend and implemented a technique of base isolators. These devices are directed toward absorbing shock waves and critically reducing the movement of a building during an earthquake (Fuller et al., 2019). The United States should adopt this innovative technique from Japan, prioritizing the safety of human lives.
The trend of constructing temporary buildings in the United States is mainly associated with high prices. Thus, temporary housing gained popularity, as it is parsimonious regarding materials and time. However, the expanding popularity of temporary houses could be a negative development, as they impose high risks on human lives during an earthquake. According to USGS’s annual seismic hazard model, highly seismic zones include increased risks during earthquakes. Constructing short or medium-term buildings in hazardous zones could enlarge the human life risks up to shocking 100 times (Liu et al., 2019). As the United States is hugely populated with temporary buildings, a powerful earthquake may cause severe damage to infrastructure and the economy. The material damage can still be mitigated, but human lives could not be re-built.
The base isolation system heavily practiced in Japan has successfully resisted powerful earthquakes and minimized damage to human life and construction. Alongside the foundation system that absorbs the shock, Japanese techniques for battling earthquakes involve properly constructing the building. The multi-grid construction system is used to evenly distribute the overall mass and reduce the applied pressure on the foundation (Calvi & Calvi, 2018). Implementing this technique in Japan is crucial on the infrastructural level, as the buildings are constructed long-term. This technique must be implemented in all parts of the world with a high hazard of earthquakes, as the safety of people should be the main priority of any government.
The United States and Japan have a huge difference in land comparison, as the United States has a large amount of territory, whereas Japan should utilize the territory efficiently. As a result, the trend of temporary buildings has developed in the U.S. However, the temporary constructions have a severe disadvantage; they have increased the risk to human life during an earthquake. The United States government should prioritize people’s safety and implement base isolation techniques from Japan. Lastly, the Japanese construction model does not only increase people’s safety but may help prevent damage worth billions.
References
Calvi, P., & Calvi, G. (2018). Historical development of friction-based seismic isolation systems. Soil Dynamics And Earthquake Engineering, 106, 14-30.
Fuller, T., Singhvi, A., Gröndahl, M., & Watkins, D. (2019). Buildings can be designed to withstand earthquakes. Why doesn’t the U.S. build more of them?. The New York Times.
Liu, T., Luco, N., & Liel, A. (2019). Increases in life-safety risks to building occupants from induced earthquakes in the Central United States. Earthquake Spectra, 35(2), 471-488.