| On January 17th, 1995 a massive earthquake hit | | | | structural requirements of the buildings from the |
| the region of Kobe, Japan. This quake was unique | | | | 5th floor up. |
| in that it occurred at the intersection of three | | | | The social impact of this quake was devastating. |
| tectonic plates. This resulted in enormous damage | | | | The Japanese had considered themselves to be |
| to the area. Buildings collapsed, roads were | | | | well prepared for such an event. It was thought |
| destroyed, and utilities went offline for days. | | | | that their buildings, mostly made of wood, were |
| An earthquake will cause damage in two ways. | | | | better able to withstand the shaking and shearing |
| Initially damage is caused as a direct effect of the | | | | forces brought on by quakes because of the |
| shift in the tectonic plates. In this incident the | | | | material's ability to flex, and bend. What they did |
| shifting plates resulted in ground displacements as | | | | not count on was the effect that the heavy tiled |
| large as 3 meters along the fault line. Fortunately | | | | roofs would have on their structures. The heavy |
| the actual fault line did not go through the heart | | | | weight of the roof, placed on the lighter wood |
| of the port city of Kobe. In this case the direct | | | | frame created a whiplash effect that turned |
| effect damage was limited to the destruction of | | | | these wooden structures into rubble. Making |
| underground utility lines, fences, and drainage | | | | matters worse was the fact that roads where |
| ditches. The rapid shift in displacement of the | | | | damaged, and those that where not damaged |
| ground along the fault line sheared the | | | | were covered in debris. The rubble strewn |
| underground lines like butter, cutting off all major | | | | everywhere made it very hard to navigate into |
| utilities. | | | | the area and render assistance, resulting in a |
| Most of the damage caused in this earthquake | | | | much longer and more difficult recovery period. In |
| was the result of the secondary effects of the | | | | all, 5000 people died as a result of this disaster. |
| quake which radiated out from the epicenter. | | | | The economic effects of this earthquake where |
| Secondary effects from a quake of this | | | | just as devastating. The clean-up and repair of all |
| magnitude may take many forms including | | | | the damage cost millions of dollars. Local |
| aftershocks, liquefaction, fissuring, and possibly | | | | businesses, even those not located directly in the |
| triggering additional quakes. Wooden houses | | | | areas of major destruction, where unable to |
| collapsed from the severe shaking of the ground. | | | | resume business, as local utilities had suffered |
| Many buildings suffered extensive damage from | | | | major damage and remained offline. In some |
| the 5th floor and higher. This was attributed to | | | | cases it took as much as 2 months to effect |
| the building codes at the time that relaxed the | | | | repairs. |