New Zealand magnitude 7 earthquake warning: disaster prevention and mitigation system needs to be improved

A magnitude 7 earthquake struck off New Zealand, according to the US Geological Survey Earthquake Information Network. The news quickly attracted attention and discussion around the world. As a kind of natural disaster, earthquake not only brings serious threat to the life and property safety of local residents, but also often exposes many problems and shortcomings of human society in coping with natural disasters.

First, from the point of view of the earthquake itself, New Zealand is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire and earthquake, and it is not uncommon for earthquakes to occur frequently. However, this does not mean that the local government and the public should take it lightly. In fact, a magnitude 7 earthquake has great destructive power, which may not only lead to the collapse of houses and disruption of roads, but also may cause secondary disasters such as tsunamis. In this earthquake, although there are no specific casualties and property losses data released, but it is foreseeable that the earthquake on the local social and economic impact will be far-reaching.

However, the key to the problem is not the earthquake itself, but the shortcomings of human society in the face of such natural disasters. First, the vulnerability of the disaster prevention and mitigation system has been exposed. Disaster prevention and reduction is a systematic project, which requires the joint efforts of the government, society and people. However, judging from the previous earthquake disasters in New Zealand, it is obvious that there are still many loopholes in disaster prevention and mitigation work. For example, the lack of enforcement of seismic standards for buildings, the limited coverage of earthquake early warning systems, and the low level of public knowledge about disaster prevention may have exacerbated the damage caused by the earthquake.

In the disaster prevention and reduction system, the seismic standard of the building is a crucial link. If buildings can be designed and constructed according to strict seismic standards, the risk of their collapse in the event of an earthquake will be greatly reduced. However, the reality is that in order to reduce costs and pursue speed, many areas ignore the seismic performance of buildings. This is not only a violation of relevant laws and regulations, but also extremely irresponsible to the safety of people's lives and property. In this earthquake, if the seismic performance of the building is not up to standard, then the loss of the disaster will undoubtedly be more severe.

In addition to the seismic standards of buildings, the construction of earthquake early warning system is also an important part of the disaster prevention and reduction system. The earthquake early warning system can send out early warning information from a few seconds to tens of seconds in advance by monitoring the transmission speed of seismic waves in the early stage of the earthquake, so as to gain valuable escape time for people. However, New Zealand's earthquake early warning system is clearly not perfect. In this earthquake, if the early warning system can issue early warning information in time, it may be able to reduce some unnecessary casualties and losses.

In addition, the popularization of disaster prevention knowledge is also a key factor affecting the effect of disaster prevention and reduction. If people can master the basic knowledge and skills of disaster prevention, then when an earthquake occurs, they can respond more calmly and reduce panic and chaos. However, from the reality of the situation, many areas of the people's understanding of disaster prevention knowledge is still very limited. This not only increases the loss of disasters, but also increases the difficulty of emergency rescue.

In addition to the disaster prevention and reduction system, the inadequacy of the emergency response mechanism is also an important issue exposed in the earthquake. Emergency response mechanism refers to the mechanism in which the government and all aspects of society take quick action to carry out rescue and recovery work after a disaster occurs. However, in this earthquake, there are obviously many problems in the emergency response mechanism. For example, the deployment of rescue forces is not timely, the reserve of relief materials is insufficient, and the channel of information transmission is not smooth, which may affect the efficiency and effectiveness of rescue work.

In terms of the deployment of rescue forces, if the government and all aspects of society can not act quickly to deploy rescue forces to the most needed places, then the loss of disaster will be difficult to control. However, in this earthquake, due to various reasons, the deployment of rescue forces is obviously not timely enough. This not only delays the best time for rescue, but also may cause some areas to be unable to get timely rescue.

In terms of the reserve of relief materials, if the government and all aspects of society are not able to make adequate preparations in advance, the supply of relief materials will be difficult to meet the demand after the disaster. However, from the reality of the situation, many areas of the relief supplies are still very limited. This not only increases the difficulty of rescue, but also may cause some affected people to be unable to get timely assistance.

In terms of information transmission channels, if the government and all aspects of society can not timely and accurate transmission of disaster information, it will bring great trouble to the rescue work. However, in this earthquake, the channels of information transmission are clearly not smooth enough. This not only affects the efficiency of the rescue work, but may also lead to some unnecessary panic and confusion.

In addition to disaster prevention and mitigation systems and emergency response mechanisms, international cooperation also plays a crucial role in responding to natural disasters. However, it is clear that there are still many problems with international cooperation in this earthquake. For example, the insufficient participation of international relief forces, the insufficient deployment of international relief materials, and the insufficient exchange of international relief experience may affect the overall effect of relief work.

In terms of the participation of international relief forces, if countries are not able to act quickly to provide the necessary support and help to the affected countries, the loss of the disaster will be incalculable. However, in this earthquake, the involvement of international relief forces is clearly not enough. This not only exposes the inadequacies of the international community in responding to natural disasters, but also makes it more difficult for the affected countries to provide relief.

In terms of the deployment of international relief supplies, if countries are not able to make adequate preparations in advance and deploy relief supplies to the affected areas in time, it will bring great challenges to the rescue work. However, from the reality of the situation, it is clear that the deployment of international relief supplies is not timely enough. This not only affects the progress of rescue work, but also may cause some affected people to be unable to get timely assistance.

In terms of the exchange of international rescue experience, if countries do not exchange in-depth rescue experience and technology, and jointly improve the ability to cope with natural disasters, it will be difficult to effectively respond to possible disasters in the future. However, in this earthquake, the exchange of international rescue experience is obviously not deep enough. This not only limits the innovation and development of rescue work, but also may lead to some valuable rescue experience can not be promoted and applied in a timely manner.

To sum up, the magnitude 7 earthquake in the waters off New Zealand once again exposed the many problems and inadequacies of human society in dealing with natural disasters. From the vulnerability of the disaster prevention and mitigation system, the inadequacy of the emergency response mechanism to the limitations of international cooperation, these issues need to be paid attention to and solved. Only through the joint efforts and continuous improvement of the whole society can we better cope with possible natural disasters in the future, reduce the loss of disasters, and protect people's lives and property safety.