Disaster Preparedness: Anticipating the Worst Case Scenario Issue Paper Volume 05-05, March 2005
Abstract
South Asia, geologically speaking, is a very dynamic region. Its northern boundaries follow the convergence of the Indian and Eurasian Plates, while its southern edge is contained within the Ring of Fire. Although the major collision of continents that began the formation of the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau occurred 50 million years ago, South Asia is still a seismically active area. Over the last century it has experienced eighteen earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 6.0. Approximately every 70 years the Katmandu Valley in Nepal experiences such a seismic event. More immediately, it is estimated that 350,000 lives were lost and potentially millions left homeless in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand from the 9.0 earthquake and resulting tsunami that occurred off Indonesia on December 26, 2004. With recurring major earthquakes predicted for this seismically unstable region, effective disaster preparedness planning at the national and regional levels is a "high payoff" investment that governments can make in anticipation of large-scale natural or man-made disasters. Such preparedness planning both speeds the national and regional reaction time, and assists international organizations and other countries in sizing appropriate response support.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA432445
Entities
Organizations
- United States Army War College