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Systematic natural hazard mapping in Japan was started after WW II using aerial photographs. Analysing the interaction between disaster occurrence and land conditions is the most useful method for establishing the disaster prediction system for three types of disaster, flood disaster, mass-movement disaster, and earthquake disaster, which are strongly related to land conditions. A series of maps on natural hazards were established based on the results analysed.

The fourth period of the Japanese national program for earthquake prediction will expire in March, 1984. In June of 1983, the fifth 5-year plan for the next period was proposed by the Geodetic Council, Ministry of Education, Japan. Prior to establishment of the new plan the results in the fourth period were critically reviewed. The new plan, as well as the review, is briefly described in this paper. Several precursors have been clearly observed before some earthquakes with magnitudes around 7, but, on the other hand, observations have also revealed a remarkably complicated appearance of precursors. Therefore, earthquake prediction should be based on a synthesis of various observed phenomena. Taking this into account, the new plan put its emphasis on the efforts to increase the accuracy of prediction, though the items of observations are not so different from those in the fourth period.

A seismic damage simulation of regional buildings can provide valuable information for earthquake disaster prevention and mitigation. A critical issue for such a simulation is to select an appropriate numerical model that balances accuracy and efficiency for an individual building. Therefore, a moderate-fidelity model, named the multi-story concentrated-mass shear (MCS) model, and an associated parameter determination approach based on the HAZUS performance database are proposed for the simulation, with which the seismic responses of each story can be predicted through a nonlinear time-history analysis (THA). The reliability of this model is validated by comparison with the results of refined finite element (FE) models. Furthermore, the seismic damage simulation of the Tsinghua campus, which includes 619 buildings, is performed. A 40 s nonlinear time-history analysis of the 619 buildings can be completed in 15 s on a desktop computer by using the proposed method. Finally, the seismic responses of the whole area are vividly displayed through a visualization interface. The different damage states for each story are clearly identified for every individual building. The research outcome will assist in providing a useful reference and an effective tool for quick damage assessment and emergency management.

Based on the assessment report of destructive housings caused by more than 20 earthquakes occurred in Yunnan Province in 1990–2004, the vulnerability models of 4 types housings of rural residents in Yunnan Province are setup. The scenario earthquake disaster loss model is used to simulate the housing loss if the historical earthquakes that occurred since A.D. 886 in Yunnan Province reoccur in 2002. The analyses show the simulation deviation of the usual earthquakes is less than 30% and the method is of high practicality. Meanwhile, the simulation result of 398 historical earthquakes in Yunnan Province shows that the annual economic loss caused by the earthquakes is about RMB 410 million Yuan that accounts for 0.18% of GDP of Yunnan Province for the year. Because the per capita living area and the price of the housing increases year by year, if the historical destructive earthquake reoccurs today, the loss of Yunnan Province will be greater than in those years.

The earthquake disaster of December 7, 1988, in Spitak, Armenia, set in motion a series of events that led to the delivery of 36,300 kg (80,000 lb) of dialysis equipment and supplies and two teams ...

The author recommends the article "Contending With Earthquake Disaster," Jour. AWWA , 64:1:22 (Jan. 1973). It covers many topics seismic-design recommendations, problems with wells, use of fire-department pumpers, provision for public drinking water with tank trucks, public relations and communication problems, federal disaster-relief procedures, and more. It is felt that this report will usefully direct management's thoughts and help emergency planning for the future.

The scientific study of earthquakes evolved from mankind's need and desire to understand, and perhaps thereby be able to mitigate, a major cause of natural disasters. Of course, a great deal of basic knowledge of the internal structure, composition, and dynamic processes that characterize the planet earth has been gained also during these investigations, and the results of the studies of earthquakes and the waves that they send through the earth are the basis of a major part of our current understanding of the earth. Today we can readily identify a number of problem areas in which seismological research has an opportunity to contribute further to the well-being of the nation. High among these areas of opportunity is the entire field of earthquake hazards mitigation, and it is to this subject that these remarks are primarily addressed.

I’m a little distracted, right now, as I hope to be for the rest of the week. I imagine that today’s Ten Post Round-Up will probably drag you (kicking and screaming) back down to earth: [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]