The Impact of Earthquakes and Cyclones on Fiji
Throughout the semester, we have learned about different types of hazards. However, for our last blog for this class I will be discussing two of Fiji’s most destructive and frequent hazards. Fiji has been greatly impacted by various types of hazards, but there are two main hazards that impact Fiji tremendously: earthquakes and cyclones. Earthquakes occur due to “sudden movement of a block of Earth’s crust along a geologic fault”(Keller, DeVecchio). Earthquakes occur along a fault, which is a spot of weakness in Earth’s crust. Earthquakes tend to be frequent occurrence on this island. The most recent earthquake that happened in Fiji occurred on May 13, which had a magnitude of 4.7. The reason behind Fiji being prone to so many earthquakes is due to its proximity to the Fijian plate, therefore, making Fiji’s semicity is very high. This is one of the two primary hazards to address because earthquakes are frequent in this country. In some instances, there are earthquakes that occur within hours of each other. For example, on May 13 an earthquake occurred in Fiji with a magnitude of 4.7, while two hours later another earthquake had occurred on the south side of the islands with a magnitude of 4.9. One of the largest earthquake that Fiji has ever encountered had a magnitude of 6.8, which occurred in 1953 in Suva. Another earthquake, which occurred on January 3, 2017, had a magnitude of 6.9 and had a tremendous effect on the life of Fijians. It seems to be that an earthquake happens almost every day, or every other day in this country. Even though these magnitudes may not seem very large, they do have a great impact on the land and its inhabitants. Therefore, it is important that I address this as one of the major hazards in Fiji.
Having multiple earthquakes in Fiji has created many devastating effects on the land. From the great 1953 earthquake in Suva, coral reef platforms were destroyed and a tsunami was triggered due to the disturbance in the earth. In severe earthquakes, the damage to houses and infrastructure make areas too dangerous for people to live. In some cases houses have become uninhabitable because they have collapsed to the ground, leaving people to evacuate and live in shelters. Not only does this have a physical impact on an individuals life, but a detrimental strain on a person mentally and emotionally. Many of the severe earthquakes, such as the 6.8 and 6.9 magnitude earthquakes in Suva, require people to evacuate their homes in order to ensure people’s safety. The earthquakes in Fiji has also been known to cause power cuts in the city, in turn preventing people from doing their jobs and getting income.
Cyclones are another hazard that greatly impact the land and people of Fiji. Cyclones “form over warm tropical or subtropical ocean water, typically between 5 and 20 degrees latitude”(Keller, DeVecchio). With Fiji being an island in the South Pacific and having a latitude of 17.713 S, it is prone to cyclonic events. Since 1972, Fiji has been impacted by 34 different cyclones. Due to the frequency of cyclones in this country, the designated cyclone season for Fiji is from the beginning of November to the end of April. However, sometimes there are cyclones that can occur in July. I am addressing this as a second prominent hazard because it is frequent in Fiji and very destructive. Two of the most destructive, and fairly recent, cyclones to hit this beautiful island was Cyclone Josie an Cyclone Keni. Cyclone Josie had taken the lives of four people and forced 2,000 inhabitants out of their home and into 35 different evacuations centers. Not only were people forced to leave their homes, but some people were even forced to leave their cars in the middle of the street due to rapid flooding while they were driving. Cyclone Josie had mainly affected the north and west side of the main island causing roads to be closed due to flooding and multiple safety precautions. Even though Cyclone Keni had destroyed more houses than Josie, it thankfully did not take the lives of any inhabitants. Although, 6,000 people were forced to live in 115 evacuation centers in Fiji until it was safe to return to what they had left of their home. Keni was a very destructive cyclone to the inhabitants property. Viti Levu was an area that had suffered greatly. It’s direct hit wiped out homes, uprooted trees, and destroyed boats in their docks. Even though these cyclones are destructive, Fiji had encountered 32 other cyclones that destroyed the same things—houses, nature, buildings, etc. Clearly with the frequency of this hazard, infrastructures being wiped out, casualties on the rise, and unsafe travelling areas it is important that this hazard is being addressed.
Since earthquakes and cyclones have been devastating to this country’s land and inhabitants, I would recommend structural protection for every infrastructure that is built—houses, schools, office buildings, etc. These structural precautions would allow people to know that the structure they are in is safe while a hazard is occurring. I would impose a requirement that all building’s foundations would be made of some material that would ensure that the ground underneath people would be safe as an earthquake/cyclone is occurring. The floor and roofing could possibly be made of a strong material, such as titanium, so that as an when a hazard occurs people would be safe. This could allow Fijian’s to be safe in their own homes without having to evacuate to shelters. Even though the power is sometimes cut due to earthquakes, I believe the main concern is for the inhabitants. Also, to address these hazard I would recommend people be alert of what is going on in the environment around them. People, especially those who live in area prone to earthquakes, should be constantly listening to the radio or watching the news. Doing so would allow the inhabitants to plan accordingly while going through their daily lives, such as knowing what areas to avoid while traveling. Although, if Fiji had unlimited resources I would recommend putting an intercom system in every home. Therefore, if there was a forecast of an intense earthquake/cyclone Fijians would know right away and would be able to have time to plan accordingly and come up with a plan best fit for their family. Specifically for cyclones, I would recommend a type of water system to help mitigate cyclones from the island. This water system would consist of mixing the warm waters that fuel the tropical cyclones with cool waters. To mix the cool water with the warm water, there would have to be a tube that would allow cold water to flow into the ocean. This action would drain some of the storms energy, making cyclones to occur less intensely or not at all.
If I were only to target help in a one area, I would help those living in coastal areas—particularly the west and southside of the island. There has been a trend of earthquakes striking coastal areas, which probably occurs because the Fijian plate is located near the westside of the island. Since Fiji is an island, it is prone to cyclones. Therefore, if a cyclone were to occur the coast of the island would be impacted greatly—especially since it is the first area it will hit. If I had to build a house in Fiji I would build it in Nanoko. Even though there is no place in Fiji that is not prone to any hazards, Nanoko is one of the safest places to live because it resides inland and far away from the coast. Nanoko is a city that is less likely to be greatly affected by earthquakes due to its distance away from the Fijian plate. Also, since it resides on the inner part of Fiji it will not have a tremendous impact, in comparison to coastal cities, if a cyclone were to occur.
I hope throughout this semester you enjoyed reading about Fiji’s hazards, and I hope you are now knowledgeable about how hazards can greatly impact inhabitants from every country—including our very own!
Keller, Edward A., and Duane E. DeVecchio. Natural Hazards; Earth's Processes as Hazards, Disasters, and Catastrophes. 4th ed., Pearson Education, 2015.
Fantastic and VERY complete final report for Fiji! (thank you the images too) I agree with your chosen hazards and your mitigation measures. I hope you enjoyed your research with us!
ReplyDeleteHi Sharon! Great post for your final blog. I learned a lot from reading it and it made me realize how prone Fuji is to Cyclones. My country the Philippines shares this same hazard. I also enjoyed your ways for mitigation. I hope you have a great summer.
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