FLOOD03837 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

4 where the Cocos and the North American tectonic plates collide. Earthquakes are most frequent along the margins of such plates, upon which the continents ride. Rescue workers comb the mass of chaos and concrete left by the early morning earthquake (magnitude 8.1) that struck Mexico City on September 19, 1985. Parts of the city-the world's most populous urban cmter-suffered severe damage even though the earthquake was centered some 400 kilometers (250 miles) away, globally. An international committee jointly spon- sored by the Unired Nations and appropriate international nongovernmental organizations might be considered. Interested member states could form national committees to participate in the Decade and, if possible, establish individual National Decades for Natural Hazard Reduction. A member of each national committee could be a member of the international committee. The activities of the IDNHR would be carried out through both national and international coop- erative efforts. For some natural hazards, there is already international cooperation on a limited scale. For example, in a number of earthquake- prone countries, strong-motion seismographs for recording destructive ground shaking provide data for design of earthquake-resistant structures. Similar efforts for other major natural hazards could be planned and coordinated on a worldwide basis. These could include research, instrument development, data processing and dissemination, development of engineering standards, and pro- motion of educational programs. A U.S. DECADE FOR NATURAL HAZARD REDUCTION U.S. participation in the IDNHR would be orga- nized around a strong U.S. Decade for Natural Hazard Reduction (USDNHR). The USDNHR would provide knowledge and mitigation prac- tices that could cut impacts of natural hazards at least 50 percent by the year 2000. Achieving this national goal requires a major program of re- search, technological development, project ap- plications, and public information activities: a nationwide assessment of natural hazards and their risks; collection, analysis, and dissemination of information on hazards; an assessment of current knowledge and practices and identifica- tion of gaps in knowledge; a research program to fill those gaps; effective educational programs; and cooperative research activities in and among all relevant disciplines and professions." RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE ADVISORY COMMITIEE The Decade, encompassing both the IDNHR and individual National Decades for Natural Hazard Reduction, would be one of intense activity, beginning with the effort to pool and implement existing capabilities for immediate use. The inter- related strategies presented in the recommenda- tions that follow are intended to achieve life- saving and economic advantages during the Dec- ade and beyond. In so doing, they would lay the foundation for continuing achievements in the next century that will yield a world less at risk from the violent forces of nature. "A National Research Council report proposing the detailed conduct of the USDNHR will appear under separate cover.