Getting The Lowdown On Natural Disasters (NAPSA)—If you're concerned that some of your knowledge about earthquakes andother natural hazards may be bit shaky, this quiz will help to get you back onsolid ground. * True or False? More large earthquakes are occurring worldwide thaneverbefore. False. On average, the number of earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or greater has remained constant throughout the last 100 years— about19 peryear. What has changedis the speed at which the public learns about them and their economic and social impact. Increased population and development has increased the chances of an earthquake exacting a heavytoll on lives andproperty. * True or False? Each year earthquakes cause more damage thananyother naturaldisaster. False. Individually, catastrophic earthquakes are the most costly natural hazard. But because floods occur much morefrequently, their average annual cost—in both lives and property—is greater. * Trueor False? Scientists can predict an earthquake. False. At present, scientistsstill cannot predict with certainty when an earthquake will occur. Current researchis focused more on where earthquakesare likely to take place and what their economic and socialimpact is likely to be. However, scientists continue to study the physical processes that cause earthquakes in the hope that someday predicting earth- events so that individuals, businesses and governments can make appropriate adjustments to live safely on the land. The USGS worksto reduce the country’s vulnerability to natural disasters in three ways. Thefirst is mapping the geographic distributionandseverity of hazards andstudying their underlying physical processes, which are anessential part of how the earth works. The second is monitoring hazardsto providerealtime warnings andcreate long term records. The records are used to create models andtest theories. Thethird is providing information to people who respond to disasters so they can makebetter decisions before, during and after a disaster. Theyalsoprovide informationto dicting the weather. Onepart of the federal governmentis actively involved in trying to learn as much asit can about earthquakes and other natural disasters and share that information with the public. effectively for the hazardsit faces. Lastly, the USGS provides informationto individuals that can help protect their lives and property. Natural hazards don’t haveto turninto naturaldisasters. To learn more, visit http://ask.usgs.gov. quakes will be as routine as pre Manyfeel science is the key to stopping natural hazards from becoming natural disasters. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the key to limiting the effects of natural hazards on society is to understand the processes that cause the the private sector so it can prepare weenn eenBCee eee eee eee eee e ene Note to Editor: This article is part of an awareness series for Earth Science Week, October 7-18, 2001, sponsored by the American Geological Institute, a partner of the USGS. However, this article is evergreen andcanbe used anytime.
