Engineering Challenges for Minimizing Casualties from Earthquakes

Extract

Once an earthquake or similar disaster has occurred, and the salvage operation begins, it must be viewed as something that can do further damage to the victims as well as help them. The more ambitious the rescue and salvage effort—the effort to minimize the human casualties—the more serious the problem becomes of preventing the salvage operation from doing more harm than good after the obvious and easy cases have been located and treated. The key engineering elements can be reviewed from the position of the rescuer or of the victim and his ability to participate actively or passively in his own rescue and treatment. In either case, the main improvement would appear to result from, first, improved sensors and receptors; second, improved methods for timely debris removal; third, improved aids to active self-indicated survival efforts, including rescue and treatment; and fourth, improved methods of restoring vital services (water, sewage, heat, light, food, transportation and communication).