Earthquake losses can be reduced in any country. Strategically, the best approach is to create a balanced long-term earthquake risk management program, through which losses (i.e. damage, causalities, loss of functions, and economic impacts) can be controlled within limits set by community professionals and decision makers. Although there will never be earthquake-proof buildings or a society completely free of earthquake risks, the potential for earthquake disasters that disrupt a whole country can be substantially reduced if the right risk management options are selected. These options should encompass a mix of mitigation, preparedness, and emergency response measure. Mitigation includes a policy to stop increasing the risk by the addition of new buildings and lifelines to the inventory, and to start decreasing it for existing buildings and lifelines. Mitigation options include urban planning and building codes for new buildings and repairing, strengthening, rehabilitating, and retrofitting existing buildings and lifelines. Remediation of poor foundation soils and correction of nonstructural problems are cost effective options for both new and existing structures. Preparedness and emergency response reflect a policy to prepare now for the inevitable damaging earthquake. Preparedness options include ongoing activities such as prediction and warning research and pre-event planning to reduce the physical and social demands that will occur when the earthquake eventually strikes, whereas, emergency response options encompass search and rescue operations and a wide range of emergency services which are performed immediately after the earthquake occurs to save lives and protect property during the crisis. A modest investment in earthquake mitigation would pay large dividends in reducing losses.
