What Earthquake?

By Lila Renrik

"What earthquake, here in the middle of Christchurch, not likely". "If you paid attention during your geography classes young man, you would know that I have told you all many times, Christchurch is built on a swamp and therefore the likelihood of an earthquake having much effect on us in this city is very small."

I will save both my junior and my High School geography teacher's blushes by leaving out their names, but ever since I was a young child and I'm now quite a bit older having had a few birthdays ending in 0, successive teaches have preached the same thing to me and no doubt scores of other Cantabrians, regarding the relative safe haven, insulated from earthquakes we in Canterbury live in.

So you can imagine my surprise when on September 4 2010, at 4.35am on a pitch black, deftly still late winter morning, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake shook my house off its foundations, shattered windows and rearranged our landscape. Within the 45 seconds or so, when our world shook its socks off, our house became unlivable, our section became a terraced back yard with two trenches a meter wide and in places two meters deep and all services were cut. The next hour was spent wading through water, mud and sand ensuring our neighbour's and my children, who live in three separate parts of town, were all ok. Remarkably, only a few people in all of Canterbury were injured, thank god.

In the cold and darkness of the aftermath, we sat in the remains of our house, waiting for daybreak, waiting for the aftershocks and whatever daylight would lie before us. Ironically, as we sat in the torchlight of our bedroom, sitting out the dark, the first thing that came to mind was, "those buggers were full of Shiite!"

Mind you, in their defence I have since learnt that the last time this fault line was active was 16,000 years ago, and the ability to detect such historic evidence had most likely, only recently become available. Although all of my past teaches seem to be ancient themselves at the time, it is highly unlikely any were present then, although one grey haired old codger must have been born about then. Also, again to spare their blushes, I have just found out that the mud and sand that rose from deep below our gardens and roads, bursting through the surface wherever it pleased, like a pimple erupting through your skin, is in fact called "Liquefaction", go figure? That is one word I have never, ever heard before and certainly was never part of my collective geography teacher's vocabulary.

All this goes to show is that time, like people move on and no matter what we are told today, about today, or tomorrow, is just conjecture, based on some historic data and so-called educated guessing.

I, like my decrepit old teachers, will tell my grandchildren what I know, and what I believe, straight from the heart with no malice or intent to deceive, yet, time may indeed prove to my own grandchildren, that even their wise old, good-looking, fit and friendly old grandparent, may also be full of Shiite? I wonder.

Lila Renrik is a Wealth Creator. She enjoys a relaxed and fun lifestyle working from home on her computer or from anywhere that has an internet connection. She has been asked to assess many opportunities, giving her insight to many that are flawed by their need for technical know-how or that are fly-by-nighters with ridiculous income claims, only achievable by a few. Lila wants to save others the regret of pursuing 'go-no-where' or 'too difficult' schemes, by sharing what has worked for her. Find out more about her most successful incomes streams at http://peakimpression.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lila_Renrik

Earthquake Insurance - Protect Your Assets and Investments

By Mostafa EL-Engebawy, Ph.D.

Earthquake Hazards in the United States

Although the West Coast and Alaska generally has the greatest earthquake activity, the potential for earthquakes exist almost everywhere in the United States. Active areas in the Midwest include: 1) The New Madrid Seismic Zone in southeastern Missouri which has the potential to impact eight states: Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee; and 2) The Wabash Valley Seismic Zone along Illinois-Indiana border that would impact three states: Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky. In Eastern United States, another active region is the Charleston area in South Carolina.

Earthquake Prediction in California and the Midwest

California has 99.7% probability of having a moment magnitude Mw = 6.7 earthquake (same as Northridge event) during the next 30 years. The southern segment of San Andreas Fault has the highest probability of generating such an earthquake in Southern California with a 67% chance of striking Los Angeles Area, while Hayward Fault is the most likely earthquake source in Northern California with a 63% chance of striking San Francisco Bay Area. Larger earthquakes are less likely during the same time frame; 94%, 46% and 4.5% for Mw = 7.0, 7.5, and 8.0, respectively. On the other hand, the probability of a New Madrid earthquake of Mw = 6.0 or greater occurring in the next 50 years is 25-40%, while a repeat of the 1811-1812 earthquakes of Mw = 7.7 is 7-10% according to the United States Geological Survey. However, most structures in the Midwest were not built to withstand earthquake shaking. Moreover, earthquake awareness and preparedness in the Midwest have lagged far behind as compared to the West Coast.

What if your Home is Destroyed or Partially Damaged?

Many people wrongly believe that the United States Government will take care of all their financial needs if they suffer losses in an earthquake which is not true. In fact, the federal disaster relief programs are designed to help you get partly back on your feet but not to replace everything you lose. In the meantime, homeowners insurance does not cover earthquake damage to your home and possessions. Therefore, most of the property damage caused by an earthquake will end up being handled and paid for by you. In addition, you are still responsible for your existing debts such as mortgage, auto loans, and credit card payments even if your home is destroyed or partially damaged.

How to Protect your Assets and Investments?

If you own your home, it is probably your biggest financial asset. You have worked hard to secure your piece of the American Dream to become a homeowner. Your assets and investments made in personal belongings may be at risk when an earthquake strikes as your home will probably have some level of damage. How do you plan to protect these assets and investments from the costs of destructive earthquakes? Earthquake preparedness plans that include retrofitting your home and mitigating its contents are effective ways for protection against earthquake damage. Another option for managing the potential costs is to buy earthquake insurance.

Earthquake Insurance

Earthquake insurance provides coverage for ground shaking that may destroy your home, business, and personal belongings. Coverage for other kinds of damage that may result from earthquakes, such as fire and water damage due to burst gas and water pipes, is provided by standard homeowner and business insurance policies. On the other hand, cars and other vehicles are covered for earthquake damage only under the comprehensive part of the auto insurance policy. The states of California, Washington, Missouri, Tennessee, Oregon, Illinois, New York, Kentucky, Florida, and Indiana are the top 10 largest markets for earthquake insurance coverage. Earthquake insurance premiums differ widely by location, insurance company, and the construction material of your home. Older buildings cost more to insure than newer ones. Wood-frame structures benefit from lower rates than unreinforced masonry buildings as they tend to withstand earthquake forces better. A wood frame house in the Pacific Northwest costs $1-3 per $1,000 worth of coverage but less than $0.50 on the East Coast, while an unreinforced masonry home costs $3-15 per $1,000 in the Pacific Northwest but $0.60-0.90 in New York.

Do You Need Earthquake Insurance?

A wise decision on earthquake insurance is crucial if you live in an active seismic region. My family and I survived the 1995 Kobe Earthquake because I decided to live in a relatively new reinforced concrete apartment building although the rent was higher than traditional Japanese wooden houses. The three story main building stood still after the earthquake except an extension that partially collapsed, while many of the surrounding traditional houses completely collapsed. However, the apartment contents were damaged including the refrigerator, a microwave, and a large TV. The answers to the following questions may help you to decide if earthquake insurance is right for you:

• Do you know the plausible earthquake hazard at your home?
• How much would it cost to repair/rebuild your home?
• Can you afford paying the mortgage while also paying to repair/rebuild your home?
• Can you afford losing your home equity?
• How much would it cost to replace your household expensive possessions (furniture, computers, HDTV's, refrigerators, etc) if destroyed?
• How much would temporary accommodations cost if you cannot live in your home after the earthquake?

Interesting Facts on Earthquake Insurance

It is surprising to know that only 12% of California residents currently have earthquake insurance coverage down from 33% in 1996 when the devastating 1994 Northridge Earthquake was still fresh in people's minds. On the other hand, 35% of Missouri homes have earthquake insurance coverage which seems reasonable.

Concluding Remark

On January 09, 2010 the powerful Mw = 6.5 Offshore Northern California Earthquake caused moderate damage to the City of Eureka and elsewhere in Humboldt County. Few days later, on January 12, 2010, a catastrophic earthquake of magnitude 7.0 struck Haiti which is considered to be one of the deadliest quakes in the last four decades. These earthquakes are wake up calls for individuals living in active seismic regions to re-consider retrofitting their homes and mitigating their contents to protect themselves and their families; to develop, update, or maintain their own earthquake preparedness plans; and to re-consider buying earthquake insurance to manage the potential costs of future inevitable earthquakes.

Additional information on earthquake insurance including illustrative figures and photos can be found at http://hubpages.com/hub/earthquake-insurance-protect-your-assets-and-investments My family and I survived the January 17th 1995 Kobe Earthquake although our building partially collapsed. Check my website for additional information on earthquake awareness and preparedness in the United States including earthquake damage photos of Kobe earthquake. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mostafa_EL-Engebawy,_Ph.D.

Earthquake Causes

By Juan Valks

Earthquakes are a naturally occurring shock or movement that occurs on or just below the earth crust. This can cause massive devastation in the area of the earthquake and in areas spreading out from the center of the quake.

All true earthquakes are natural and are not linked to any man made activities such as shocks from nuclear testing or landslides that result from extensive building work. There are two main causes of earthquakes - Tectonic activity which is caused by the earth plates moving or faults or volcanic activity which is caused by volcanic eruptions.

Out of the two earthquake causes tectonic activity is the most common, although volcanic activity can cause earthquakes in certain areas of the world. Tectonic earthquake causes begin when there is movement in the earth Tectonic plates. These plates are made up of sections of the earth crust and they float on the earth mantle. Most of the time these plates are slowly in moving; they might slide towards or away from each other or even slip past each other. However, it is when these Tectonic plates collide or move too closely to each other that an earthquake is caused.

Scientists have devised the Elastic Rebound Theory to describe what happens during these times of movement. To explain this, think about bending a green twig. You will know that you can bend the twig and it will hold up until a certain point, until the energy on the twig becomes too much and it snaps. The point of snapping is known as the Elastic Limit. When this happens the energy created during the bending process is released which makes the twig vibrate.

When Tectonic plates collide or rub against each other the same process occurs and this will cause an earthquake. One example of constantly moving plates is the San Andreas Fault in the US. Here the North American Plate and the Pacific Plate both move in the same direction, but one is faster than the other. This leads to small shocks and occasionally large quakes in the San Francisco area of America.

Volcanic earthquakes are created when a volcano erupts, which can be quite a violent explosion. Usually these earthquakes will affect an area of up to 20 miles around the volcano and the earthquake is not likely to be felt anywhere else in the world.

A volcano is more likely to explode if it contains acidic lava. This is lava that will quickly cool and set when in contact with the air. When this happens the vent of the volcano will become blocked and pressure will build up inside it. Over time this pressure will increase until the volcano erupts. Volcanoes that do not contain acidic lava or which have free flowing lava tend not to erupt in this way and are considered to be much safer.

As you can see there are two main earthquake causes - Tectonic plate activity and volcanic eruptions. Tectonic earthquakes are much more common although there are still instances of volcanic earthquakes in various countries around the globe.

Juan m Valks have the las last information in this topic at: http://www.earthquakecauses.com. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Juan_Valks

How Earthquake Retrofitting Prevents Structural Damage

By Vishal Ingole 

One wonders why observation is not enough to make you learn something. Why does it have to be experience always that can teach you how to protect yourself? So many earthquakes have come over the years in every part of the world. Each year thousands of people lose their houses and property in the wake of this natural calamity. Still people do not recognize the importance of earthquake retrofitting. Every structure and every building is vulnerable to structural damage which comes with earthquake. So when we know the danger, why guarantee ourselves a death by not retrofitting the house? All this process, also called foundation bolting, requires is to add foundation bolts into the concrete though a wooden piece that is placed on top of the foundation. Just by doing this little favor, you can protect your house from becoming shaky when earthquake hits the ground.

The foundation bolts are of two types, expansion foundation bolts and epoxy set foundation bolts. If you have newly built your house the type of bolt you require for successful earthquake retrofitting is expansion bolts. They are less costly and are good for areas more prone to earthquake damage. If the foundation is old, adding epoxy bolts will work well. They should be deeply added into the concrete to ensure better protection.

A term less technical and somewhat similar in purpose to earthquake retrofitting is earthquake proofing. Earthquake proofing refers to making your house resistant to the severe damage earthquakes causes. There are varieties of products in the market to protect you and your property only if instead of ignoring you make use of them at the right time. Home improvement stores have furniture-saving kits which you can use to secure your cabinets, furniture and other such possessions. Apart from this, to earthquake proof your house you can secure your refrigerators and other home appliances by making them stick to the walls. The makers are more concerned about the customer's safety rather than the customer himself. They attach angle clips to the top of the refrigerators so that it can be bolted to the wall only if the customer notices it. Computers and other equipment wherein lies the life of most of us can be protected by placing on them nylon straps that too can be bolted to walls.

Thus through a lot of ways we can save ourselves from the devastation earthquake can bring to your life and property. Earthquake proofing and earthquake retrofitting is a prevention measure to be taken in order to avoid the damage. Once calamity hits, it will take only seconds to reduce an unbolted house to debris. It is either now or never!

Vishal has been providing his SEO-Services for about 4 years now. Also he's written a lot about it and also on many different topics, for writing is his passion. You can see earthquake retrofitting for more articles on the relevant topic or you can visit the website where this topic is being blogged about earthquake proofing

Earthquake-Proof Wood Wine Racks?

By Joseph Cortese

Wooden racks have a more traditional look and feel about them. If you would like your wine rack to convey a sense of old world aesthetic, consider purchasing a wood rack. Also, if you want to place your wine rack in a wine cellar, wooden racks are better suited to that type of location. Some wine drinkers prefer iron or metal racks. Let's save those for another article.

Besides, if you live in an earthquake-prone area, a group of researchers at Oregon State University has come up with a new rack that keeps bottles intact during the event.As a matter of fact, the rack was subjected to seismic testing that included two weeks of simulated earthquakes measuring up to magnitude 7.1. The shelving units are marketed mainly to wine departments in retail stores.

Since wood is flexible, it can withstand earthquakes better than other, more rigid materials such as steel. The strength of the shelves strength was achieved by laminating layers of Oregon pine used for both the frames and the shelves. The developers have nicknamed the Oregon pine MightyPine.

However, if you are not worried about your wine bottles withstanding "The Big One," some companies offer some practical options. In wood, some retailers offer a 24, 36, or 48 bottle capacity Table Top Rack. These three racks can be purchased in a variety of finishes: ponderosa pine, stained pine, premium redwood, and stained redwood.

For those of you looking for something "different" and beautiful, items such as a Wine Connoiseur's Chest and a Wine Plantation Vinter's Chest can add charm to your home. For example, the Connoiseur holds up to 15 bottles, and has a large storage drawer. It makes for an attractive furniture accent in any décor. The Vinter's Chest opens from the top, is set off by great antique hinges and hardware, and holds up to 14 bottles.

Or, for something really different, check out an item called the Cape Cod Storage Console, which holds eight bottles, has two top drawers, and two large storage areas on the bottom. Have a wonderful shopping experience!

Dr. Joseph F. Cortese Owner, http://www.WineRacksPro.com Article Source: