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India Earthquake
Status: Closed
| Type of posting | Posting date(EST): | Summary | Downloads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Update 1 | 1/31/2001 10:00:00 AM |
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| First Posting | 1/25/2001 10:30:00 PM |
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Update 1 | Summary
Posting Date: January 31, 2001, 10:00:00 AM
Note: All information below is derived from various media reports.
As of Wednesday, January 31, 2001, the official death toll from the Bhuj earthquake now exceeds 10,000 and is continuing to rise. Unofficial estimates range from 20,000 to 100,000 dead. The Red Cross currently estimates a death toll of at least 50,000. Over 150,000 have been injured and as many as 200,000 to 300,000 could be homeless. In some instances, entire communities have been reduced to rubble. All major infrastructure systems have sustained serious damage: broken road and rail links; disrupted electricity and telecommunication services; and restricted airport facilities.
Seismologists consider the January 26 earthquake important for several reasons. With a magnitude of 7.9, it is the largest intraplate earthquake in almost 200 years, and the largest ever to be instrumentally recorded. Seismologists believe these records may provide important information for understanding similar events, such as the 1811-1812 New Madrid or the 1886 Charleston SC earthquakes in the US. Some argue that ground motion observations for the Bhuj earthquake can help project the potential impact of the next major New Madrid earthquake.
While AIR staff in India are closely monitoring the situation, information on property losses for the Bhuj earthquake is still difficult to obtain. News reports citing a variety of public and private sector sources currently estimate property losses at about US$ 3 to 4 billion; half residential and small commercial property, and the remainder industrial. No reliable loss estimates are currently available for publicly owned facilities.
The overwhelming majority of residential property is reportedly uninsured for earthquake. As a result, while the economic impact has been devastating to the local populace and ultimately to the nation, the insurance industry and reinsurance industries are expected to experience relatively negligible impact. On the other hand, most industrial facilities were insured for earthquake and fire. The industrial sector is estimated to have sustained losses of about US$ 1.5 billion.
Based on information published in the Indian press, including reports from the Deccan Chronicle, The Times of India, The Hindu, and Economic Times, almost all buildings in and around Bhuj -- a small city of about 150,000 -- have sustained severe to total damage. Many masonry buildings have been reduced to rubble. In towns and cities near Bhuj, reinforced cement concrete (RCC) buildings, usually midrise, have sustained various degrees of damage:
- Some have completely collapsed, even though similar adjacent buildings sustained relatively little damage. Experts cited by the press attribute such damages to faulty construction practices and poor enforcement of building codes.
- Other buildings appear to show classic 'soft-story failure,' with floors above sustaining damage due to the collapse or lateral displacement of the parking area beneath.
- Still other buildings appear to have experienced liquefaction damage -- the buildings appear structurally intact but have tilted.
- Finally, many high-rise RCC buildings have cracks in the cladding or at structural joints. Such damage has been reported in building as far away as Mumbai (formerly Bombay), more than 200 miles from the epicenter.
