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NEWS > EVERYONE ELSE > CHINESE EARTHQUAKE STILL DOESN’T BEAT HAITI
CHINESE EARTHQUAKE STILL DOESN’T BEAT HAITI
April 14 2010
Xining, China – Though it’s very likely that the total number of earthquakes in 2010 will be on par with the average, shakers have grabbed the public’s attention this year in ways that they never have before. Every year some event comes along that helps
define the year, grabbing the public zeitgeist and making people believe that an epidemic is occurring. Of course, that is rarely the case and often the public interest far outstrips the actual threat or danger of such events which this year is earthquakes.
With the massively destructive quake in Haiti in January, that event seemed sure to determine the course of public interest throughout the year. Followed by major quakes in Argentina, Los Angeles, and now in China that momentum has truly reached a fever pitch. However, as yet no quake has managed to supersede the one that levelled Haiti, even a major 6.9 quake in China which has thus far killed almost 600 people. Though the country has long been prone to quakes and boasts the world’s biggest population, the shaking in that country today appears to have fallen far short of the devastation wreaked on Haiti. With at least 200,000 dead the quake in Haiti ranks 6th on the list of the deadliest in history, a record that many now believe will not be topped this year at least.
“The quake in China was very powerful, close to the magnitude of the Haitian quake but it won’t come anywhere to being as destructive. For one it happened far from the government and financial sectors, and two the population in that area is relatively low meaning that it’s 
just not possible for as many people to have been killed,” said Scrape TV International analyst Gustav Hander. “Add to that the fact that Chinese building standards are much higher and have been created with the reality of quakes in mind and you have a toxic mix of prevention that will severely hamper their ability to top the charts this year.”
China has three of the top five deadliest earthquakes, including the top two, in history the most recent in 1976 where 255,000 people were killed.
“I’m sure China will keep trying but I would look towards western Asia and southern Europe. India perhaps, or Iran which is long overdue. If I were a betting man however, which I am actually, I would look towards Turkey/Greece for the record. That area has been plagued by quakes for years and with the financial instability in Greece it would be the perfect time for a quake to strike,” continued Hander. “The fault lines in that area are prone to massive quakes and little has been done to improve infrastructure in that region in the last decade or so since the last major quake there. I would say that area is the most likely candidate to outstrip Haiti but we will have to see.”
The 1999 Izmit earthquake killed approximately 45,000 people but little has been done to improve infrastructure in the region.
“Frankly, it will take a major, major level of devastation to compete with the Haitian quake. Aside from the sheer amount of damage, the magnitude of destruction in that country, the effect it has had on their ability to function is almost immeasurable and extremely difficult to top,” continued Hander. “If a quake killed say 500,000 people in a wealthier country like Turkey it would have a chance, but that is asking for a lot. One thing is certain however. If China wants to take top place they are going to have to go a lot further next time.”
Chinese officials took their sweet time getting aid to the area but upped the pace when it was clear the quake wasn’t going to break the record.
Emil Uliya, International Correspondent
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