Sustained Earthquake Preparedness: Functional, Social, and Cultural Issues

When earthquakes occur, affected societies and their members suddenly find themselves having to deal with demands that differ considerably from anything they would encounter under normal conditions and in circumstances in which normal societal functions and resources are marked by their absence. The aftershock sequence that can accompany seismic events can prolong the period over which people have to deal with disruption. However, the degree of disruption and loss that people, communities, and societies experience is a function of the degree to which they have developed the knowledge, skills, and relationships required to anticipate, cope with, adapt to, and recover from earthquake consequences during both the initial event and the consequences they can encounter as they cycle through response and recovery processes with successive aftershocks. Furthermore, the fact that earthquakes occur without warning makes it i ...