Most humans are no stranger to natural disasters and harsh weather climate events caused by the wrath of Mother Nature. Almost every corner of Earth is subject to some type of natural disaster – floods, ice, tornados, hurricanes, cyclones, wildfires, extreme heat, earthquakes, drought, and more. Even the driest places on Earth, such as the Atacama Desert in South America and the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Antarctica, have experienced torrential rainfall, dust storms, and drought. The Atacama Desert, for instance, is the second driest place on Earth and holds the record for the longest documented dry streaks in a non-polar desert, while the McMurdo Dry Valleys have gone over 2 million years without rain (NCESC.com). While some regions may have infrequent harsh weather events, weather phenomena unique to each region does happen. All regions on Earth are subject to varying extreme weather events from time to time.
With the ever-increasing changes to our environment due to climate change, the frequency, severity, costs, and severe impacts from natural disasters are increasing exponentially with no clear decline in sight. Disasters have increased by a factor of five between 1970-2010, as reported by the World Meteorological Association, and Yale places the figure at an increase of 83% in the past 20 years alone. Meanwhile, deaths have increased by 75% between 2000-2019 (NOAA). Due to the increase across the board with key statistics related to natural disasters and other extreme weather events, time is of the essence to be proactive to mitigate risks from future events. Mother Nature will strike again; it’s not a matter of if but when and how severe will the next major event be?
Therefore, it’s important for humans to be prepared for the unknown and the unexpected. Since weather and harsh climate conditions are mostly unpredictable, except for regions that experience extreme heat year-over-year, it’s in our best interest to attempt to predict the likelihood of “what’s next.” For example, California has been anticipating the next “big one” in terms of earthquakes for over 30 years – since the Northridge earthquake in 1994, which had the highest recorded G-force acceleration ever recorded with modern instruments in a North American city (KTLA). The damage was so severe, and the fatalities so numerous, that the Northridge earthquake resulted in key code changes for parking structures that were built into the 1997 UBC – the premier code for seismic design at the time (Structure Magazine). These changes included 1997 UBC Section 1633.2.4 (Deformation Compatibility), 1997 UBC Section 1633.2.6 (Collector Elements), and 1997 UBC Section 1921.6.12 (Diaphragms), which “was added because topping slabs over precast concrete members, typically intended to be used as the diaphragm to transfer the lateral loads, performed poorly during the Northridge Earthquake. Minimum thickness requirements were added as well as requirements for mechanical connectors used to transfer forces between the diaphragm and the lateral force-resisting system” (Structure Magazine).
While these changes were critical at the time – to prevent similar catastrophic impacts with similar seismic impacts in the future, it’s perhaps even more important to plan for – through design strategies, construction methods, and code and guideline changes – for the unexpected, the unknown, the yet-to-be-experienced. Applying lessons learned from yesterday’s events and data will only afford us the opportunity to minimize damage and fatalities from similar events in the future.