Why do people rebuild after earthquakes?

[Eeyores Butterfly]

diznygirl nailed what I was going to say. I'm sure there are various regulations that may have gone into effect between the time of the "Big" earthquakes and the time the buildings had been built originally. More standards to make new structures more safe, like rollers, and building out of different materials, etc.

Living in SoCal, you get kinda used to them hitting ocassionally, they shake for a few seconds, and then it's over. If you have a huge earthquake, it may be that people are attached to that area and would like to resume living where they've lived for x amount of time. Life moves on.

There was an article yesterday on CNN about an old man who lived in Picher, OK. Picher used to be a mining town, and the mining of heavy metals made the town toxic. Water in the creek was orange from the heavy metals, piles of gravel tainted with lead littered the town and kids were testing positive for high levels of lead. Houses were falling into abandoned mine shafts.

The town was so bad it was declared a hazardous area and the government bought out the residents so that they could move elsewhere. This man had lived there his whole life and despite the danger refused to move. His kids finally had to move his stuff out while he was eating lunch one day. I doubt anybody could reasonably argue that was a good or safe place to live, but it was what he knew.

The same can be said of the innkeeper who refused to leave his home when Mt. St. Helens exploded. People become very comfortable in the place they are used to, and sometimes despite the obvious danger, they aren't willing to leave.

 

[Mrs. Chamberlain]

My five year old asked me that tonight and to be honest I have always wondered the same myself. He has been reading about the San Fancisco earthquake.

Enlighten us.

People rebuild after fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, and other natural disasters. Why not earthquakes?

 

[DisnyMama]

I lived within a mile of the epicenter of the 94 Northridge earthquake and will never, ever forget it. However, I have lived in Southern California all my life except for 2006-2008 in which me and my son moved to North Texas. While I love Texas for the people and it's beauty I am so glad to be back in CA. The constant storms and tornado warnings and sirens going off in the middle of the night last year was more than I could deal with but that's just my thing.

 

[bicker]

There does have to be a limit, though, doesn't there? When Parícutin erupted, the farmer who owned that land decided not to plant that field the next year. What will it take before the only rational decision is to leave a place behind? Clearly, being at sea level and sinking, on the delta of a major river, in a hurricane zone, isn't over the line. Clearly, being on a major earthquake fault isn't over the line. Is there a line?

 

[bas71873]

I am not trying to be rude or a smart aleck. It is a serious question - why would you rebuild in an area that has repeated natural disasters? Is it an emotional attachment to the location?

IMO, yes. I am from VA, but spent the last 11 years on the Gulf Coast and have evacuated for 3 hurricanes, including Katrina since I lived just outside New Orleans at the time. We just recently left the NOLA area and came back HOME to VA and there really is no place like home. People that are from Louisiana (just as an example), born and raised, that's their home and they aren't going to leave. I couldn't understand why so many people rebuilt after Katrina either, but when it's home, it's home no matter what. Hope that makes some sense ;0)

 

[Disney Doll]

Every area has their issues. Some areas have earthquakes, some have flooding, some have tornadoes, some have hurricanes. You could probably look anywhere in the country and find something that could make you say "why would anyone live there???". But to the folks that live in those areas, it is their home.

I'm in CT. Weather here is generally pretty mild in the grand scheme of what weather could be, but we've had some weather related deaths & home damage over the years from floods, hurricanes, mini tornadoes, lightning strikes etc. But, everybody's gotta live somewhere I guess...

 

[DaParkers]

I guess it is those who live right on the fault lines and the most damaged areas. IMO, the same applies to beach dwellers and hurricanes. I would live in a coastal area, but well out of the storm surge area.

We live in tornado country, but those are so random that you can't really predict where one will hit.

ETA: I guess I would include those who live along the shore of big rivers like the Mississippi.

What else would you do, move? L.A is prone to earthquakes and Orlando to hurricanes. We wouldn't have DL and WDW if the natural disasters ran everyone away. A lot of the country has something that could be classified as a natural disaster. Blizzards, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, tornados, mud slides, etc... But, some of the most popular destinations are in those areas. L.A., Miami, Orlando, New Orleans, etc... So, I ask again, what would you do? You live in tornado alley. By your own admission, they are hard to predict. That scares me, because you don't know when it's coming.
To answer your question.....People rebuild because that's what America is all about. Bouncing back. Not letting anything defeat us. We don't run. We learn from past mistakes and we adjust. Most of the time at least.

P.S. I know some people in other countries rebuild, but I live in America, so I speak about America. No disrespect to anyone else.

 

[raysnkaysmom]

My five year old asked me that tonight and to be honest I have always wondered the same myself. He has been reading about the San Fancisco earthquake.

Enlighten us.

I guess I don't understand the question. Why wouldn't you? Is there a fear that another earthquake will hit? Then why would you live where there are tornados or hurricanes or floods?

If you never rebuilt after a natural disaster, you could never live anywhere.

I was thinking the same thing....I dont get wondering about 'why'...
It's their home, its where they live. Losing a piece of property doesn't make you not want it back. You rebuild. That's just what you do.
People rebuild after tornadoes and hurricanes and fires... why not quakes?

 

[raysnkaysmom]

I guess it is those who live right on the fault lines and the most damaged areas. IMO, the same applies to beach dwellers and hurricanes. I would live in a coastal area, but well out of the storm surge area.

We live in tornado country, but those are so random that you can't really predict where one will hit.

ETA: I guess I would include those who live along the shore of big rivers like the Mississippi.

See...I see living n Arkansas or Kansas MUCH scarier!! (Oklahoma too). I see those places with tornados on tv all the time! I grew up in California with quakes. I live in Ga now (since 93) and there are random tornadoes. I'd still much prefer quakes, but my family is here....

Some of the answers have made me wonder why I bother with the DIS.

If you answered my question in the same spirit it was asked, then, thank you.

You bother with us cuz the good outweighs the bad

 

[bicker]

It's their home, its where they live. Losing a piece of property doesn't make you not want it back. You rebuild. That's just what you do.
People rebuild after tornadoes and hurricanes and fires... why not quakes?

I think this underlying question here needs to be: To what extent should society assist people in rebuilding where it is arguably inadvisable to rebuild?

 

[HighClass]

I am not trying to be rude or a smart aleck. It is a serious question - why would you rebuild in an area that has repeated natural disasters? Is it an emotional attachment to the location?

I live in a hurricane prone area. We hear these types of remarks every single hurricane season. I guess everyone should leave Texas, LA, Miss, Ala, and Florida gulf coasts and move inland?

 

[tonilea]

I think this underlying question here needs to be: To what extent should society assist people in rebuilding where it is arguably inadvisable to rebuild?

Thank you. Most times, I don't think people have to move very far away to be in a safer area. I'm not suggesting people pack up and head to another state.

I can understand an emotional attachment to a location. But you have to wonder about people who have been flooded out repeatedly and still rebuild.

I have learned more about earthquakes. They always seemed so frightening to me - I guess as scary as tornadoes seem to some of you. lol

 

[happygirl]

Is there any part of the USA that doesn't get some sort of National disaters

I live in the midwest Torando alley

 

[bicker]

I don't think this necessarily needs to be a matter of "part of the USA", but rather certain specific parts-of-parts. I don't think anyone is suggesting abandoning California, but does it make sense for public funds to be used to rebuild a neighborhood wiped out for the second time by recurring wildfires? Does it make sense for public funds to be used to rebuild the causeway from Highlands to Sandy Hook, for the third time, which is undermined by each year's set of storms, and so a fourth destruction would be inevitable, in the medium-term? Aren't there some places that we can reasonable read nature as saying, "Humans should not live right here?"

 

[mnrose]

nt

 

[mnrose]

I was actually in San Francisco when the quake happened, in my office. While all the computers, books, paintings, etc, were toppled or moved, the building itself (built on rollers...very common for modern skyscrapers in earthquake country) suffered $0 in structural damage. None whatsoever. It is very, very possible to build structures to withstand all but the very largest of quakes (which are an extremely remote possibility...I'd venture to guess about the same possibility as your town being leveled by a tornado). The buildings that WERE damaged during that quake (along with bridges, etc) were those not built or reinforced to modern construction standards.

People live there because regardless of your perception about the danger from quakes, the reality is quite different. Earthquake areas also tend to be spectacularly beautiful...this is no accident. The same forces that make mountains, are those that cause earthquakes. I'll also point out that even though there was a significant loss of life during that quake (62 or 63 people), it was the FIRST loss of life because of an earthquake in over 70 years in the Bay Area. During those same 70 years, without actually researching the point, I know for certain that many, many, many, many more people were killed in the midwest because of tornados, and blizzards.

One more point. To me, the area of the greatest concern for earthquakes in the US is NOT California. There, the engineering standards are designed to deal with earthquakes. Instead, it is the New Madrid fault in Missouri which is quite problematic. Homes are not at all built to handle a major earthquake there. And, it WILL happen. With any fault, it is simple a matter of time before it slips.

 

[wall*e2008]

The same reason they rebuild after a flood, tornado, fire and other disasters.

 

[tonilea]

From my son: He thought it made a lot of sense that homes built back after earthquakes were built much safer. However, he wasn't so sure about the emotional aspect.

 

[BeachGirlFLA]

I've been through five earthquakes in my life and only one was in Southern California (two west of the Mississippi.) I know that area is very prone to earthquakes but they can happen in so many places.

 

[arminnie]

My five year old asked me that tonight and to be honest I have always wondered the same myself. He has been reading about the San Fancisco earthquake.

Enlighten us.

You can actually built to current specs or retrofit (before disaster hits).

I lived in California (landfill) when the Loma Prieta his in 1989. My apartment was about a year old and was build to code so we literally had no damage. NONE.

My office had just been through a major retrofit about a year earlier. A pencil rolled off my desk and the lights flickered. That was it. Meanwhile freeways, building, etc were dropping like flies.

In New Orleans where I experienced Katrina my building is exceptinally strong. Lots of concrete, brick and rebar.- also nothing but parking on the first floor. We had minimal roof damage. My total cost to to repair was $62 (small piece of baseboard warped).

I've seen devasting fires in California. But I've also been in a home that was build to withstand almost anything thing but a bomb.

It's not so much why you rebuild as HOW you rebuilt.