Earthquake Disasters in Latin America - A Holistic Approach

pThis book is an attempt to demonstrate the analytical power of the holistic approach for understanding disasters.�� Six major earthquakes in Latin America are used as an example: the general idea is to place disasters in a broad social and regional context.� Understanding disasters is a way of understanding the social system.� The idea is to show that every major disaster is unique and different.� Statistical methods may be useful for purposes of risk estimation but modern disasters are "systemic" and complex.� In the chapter on the 2010 Chile earthquake we discuss the tsunami and why the system of tsunami alert did not work.� The introductory chapter contains some basics of seismology (plate tectonics) and earthquake engineering.� The 1985 Mexico earthquake describes why geology is important.�� Why was Mexico City founded in a lake?� Technology must be adapted to the environment, not "imported" from possibly more advanced but different societies.� The 1970 Peru earthquake is an example of disaster in a unique environment.� Caracas 1967 takes us on a survey of different engineering solutions.� And the 1960 Chile earthquake leads us on a retrospective survey--what has changed in Chile between the two major Chile earthquakes?� A discussion on Charles Darwin's observations of the 1835 Chile earthquake provides a fitting summary./p