Assess the importance of governments in reducing the risks of tectonic hazards over time. (20 marks)

Tectonic hazard events tend to occur on plate margins and are caused by the movement of tectonic plates. Without sufficient infrastructure and without being prepared, the effects of these events can be drastic. The importance of governments in reducing the risks of tectonic hazards over time will be assessed in accordance to the Kobe 1995 earthquake, the Haiti 2010 earthquake and the Christchurch 2011 earthquake.
The 17th January Kobe earthquake of 1995 measured 6.9 on the Richter scale. This occurred because the Pacific plate was being pushed under the Eurasian plate, and the city lies close to a subduction zone. The focus of the earthquake was 16km below the crust, resulting in catastrophic effects, especially for a high income country (HIC). Japan has the world’s most comprehensive prediction programme with thousands of seismometers and monitoring stations in Japan designed to give warning. This earthquake was unexpected as the city had not had a large earthquake in around 400 years. Due to this, Kobe had less prediction equipment that other areas of Japan. Arguably the city was relatively prepared as the government had implemented a scheme making buildings earthquake in the 1960s, which made (by law) every new infrastructure have some sort of retrofitting qualities. They made sure that the buildings had to have counterweights on the roofs and cross steel frames. The Japanese government also made sure that people had to be educated on earthquake preparation in Japan. However, this new legislation did not say anything about the older buildings and due to this, most of the damaged buildings in Kobe were built before this period and were made of wood, which therefore caught fire due to broken electricity lines. This earthquake therefore led to over 5000 fatalities and 300,000 people being made homeless. As well as this, raised motorways collapsed during the tremors. The estimated cost to rebuild the basics of the city was £100 billion. The Japanese felt that they were fully prepared for the earthquake, but it is apparent that they were not. The responses to the earthquake took a long time and only by January 1999 had 134,000 housing units been constructed, and this resulted in numerous amounts of people still living in temporary accommodation even five years after the earthquake. However, the government of Japan did pass new laws to make buildings and transport structures even more earthquake proof. To further this, the local government of Kobe installed more instruments in the area to monitor tectonic plate movement. In recent years, the Japanese government has made it obligatory for there to be regular earthquake drills in both factories and schools. Therefore it is clear to see that it is important for governments to implement schemes to try to reduce the impacts of tectonic hazards over time. 
The Haiti earthquake happened on the 12th January 2010 and measured 7 on the Richter scale. The epicentre was 16 miles west of the capital Port-au-Prince with a focus of 5 miles. This earthquake was caused by the North American Plate sliding past the Caribbean plate at a conservative plate margin. In 2010, the GDP per capita for the country was $662 which therefore indicates that this country is a low income country (LIC). The Haiti government did not have sufficient capital to spend on retrofitting buildings resulting in catastrophic effects. Around 316,000 people were killed and 1 million people were made homeless. 250,000 homes and 30,000 other buildings, including the President’s Palace and 60% of government buildings were either destroyed or severely damaged. Secondary effects resulted in hospitals and morgues becoming full and resulting in bodies being piled up on the streets. Due to this, a large number of diseases, especially cholera, became a serious problem. The government of Haiti was too poor to send aid, therefore international aid was needed. It was difficult getting aid into the area because the airport was not functioning and the situation had been managed very poorly. International aid was needed drastically and this led to the USA government giving $100 million in aid and the European Union sending $330 million in aid. This therefore clearly highlights the importance in governments reducing the impact in a tectonic event. In March 2010, the Haitian government presented an action plan for reconstruction and development at a global donors’ conference. Donors pledged over $5 billion for the first 18 months of Haiti’s reconstruction. This therefore clearly shows that although the Haitian government cannot afford the rebuild themselves, they are still trying to prevent disasters like this in the future. This therefore goes to show that even governments in LICs are still trying to create plans to prevent the magnitude of tectonic events in the future. 
The 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Christchurch in February 2011. The epicentre was 6 miles south east of Christchurch and the focus was very shallow at 3.1 miles. This earthquake occurred on a conservative plate margin where the Pacific plate slid past the Australian plate. Primary effects included 181 fatalities and 2,000 injuries. As well as this, the city’s cathedral lost its spire and around 80% of people lost electricity due to the tremors of the earthquake. The majority of the residents in Christchurch had insurance resulting in the companies having to pay $898 in building claims. The local government responded quickly by zoning areas (green, orange, white, red) to classify the damage and the cost of repairs. The local government also provided temporary housing and ensured all damaged properties were kept water tight to prevent further damage. The local authorities also accepted international aid, which was delivered in the form of money and workers. It is estimated that around $6 million was provided. In order to prevent this event happening in the future, the government of New Zealand’s Earthquake Commission funds Geonet. This detects and monitors earthquakes and can provide emergency services within a few minutes of an earthquake. As well as this, the AMI stadium in Christchurch has been reinforced by 10m stone columns which can stop liquefaction. The government has also disallowed homes to be built in seismically dangerous zones. In order to prevent this the government has instigated purchases of both land and houses in high risk zones, and therefore works with insurance companies to accelerate safe recovery. Therefore it can be clear to see that the government of Christchurch is very important in reducing the risks of tectonic hazards over time. 
To conclude it is very clear that governments are important in reducing the risks of tectonic hazards over time. This can be seen in the Kobe 1995 earthquake where governments have installed more monitoring systems in the area and have also made legislation to state that every new building has to be retrofitted. This can also be seen in the Haiti 2010 earthquake where the government presented an earthquake prevention plan to donors to receive money to implement the plan. This can finally be seen in the Christchurch 2011 earthquake where the government has disallowed homes to be built in seismically dangerous zones and also has implemented Geonet. Therefore, it is very clear to see that governments play a key role in reducing the risks of tectonic hazards over time.