Expert: With more earthquakes in Haiti likely, more research, knowledge sharing needed
Experts say that the majority of fatalities in the 2010 earthquake were due to collapsed buildings. AP Photo/Gerald Herbert. Since a 7.2 magnitude earthquake shook southwest Haiti on Aug. 14, people the world over have witnessed the rubble of decimated buildings and survivors seeking shelter under tarpaulins. For a seismology expert, the jarring event is an opportunity for more research to take place and for other countries prone to natural disasters to share mitigation strategies with Haiti. “Scientists need to monitor seismicity and crustal activities along this fault zone as a case study,” said Yoshihiro Ito, a professor of earthquake seismology at Kyoto University’s Disaster Prevention Research Institute , which monitors natural disasters throughout the world. “We need to share some knowledge and technologies of risk management and assessment for these disasters between Japan and Haiti,” Ito said. “Accumulation of this knowledge could be helpful to forecast and predict futu
