Dear Prof Cope,
I recall some work on tsunami (safe) housing, http://www.eng.cam.ac.uk/news/stories/2006/tsunami/.
I think the foundations need to be strong also to withstand forces so huge.
Parminder
----- Original Message -----
From: "COPE, David" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, March 13, 2011 5:16 AM
Subject: Wood in tsunami debris
I'm in Japan at the moment - in suburbs of Tokyo.
My impression from having looked at many videos is that the wood is mainly joists, rafters and
structural timbers from houses demolished by the tsunamis. You must remember that most traditional
Japanese houses are made of wood - and many of the individual modern ones as well.
I once took a look in the roof space of my university 2 storey apartment block when in Kyoto -
compared with the UK, the structural complexity of the roof support was phenomenal - all part of
earthquake proofing - but to little avail if hit by a tsunami.
Professor David Cope
Director
Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology
Houses of Parliament
Westminster, London SW1P 3JA
UK
tel: +44 (0)20 7219 2840 (PA)
fax: +44 (0)20 7219 2849
email: [log in to unmask]
POST's Web Site: www.parliament.uk/post
________________________________________
From: Natural hazards and disasters [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Parminder Singh [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 12 March 2011 07:58
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: 8.9 tsunami
Dear Listers,
This tsunami in terms of strength is lesser than the I-O '04 tsunami that struck Acheh.
Although the no. of casulities are running into a thousand or so at this moment, in Acheh it reached
around
200,000 + at the end of the day. The infrastructure affected was different betweeen but you could
see
alot of debris like loose pieces of wood etc in both of them but I couldn't see where they came from
in
Japan. I saw vast agricultural land that was swept by the tsunami.
What can be learnt from these 2 tsunamis is that adequate warning which the Japanese had compared
with the Indonesians which resulted in far lesser loss of lives but the devasations were about the
same
excluding the nuclear reactors.
I consulted an eminent professor from Japan on possible mitigation systems not too long ago and one
stands
out is coastal forests which can break the energy of these waves. I don't know how many tsunami
proned
countries have this form of defence already in place. Another one I picked up from a personal
observation
is the deep water in Port Vila, Vanuatu Is. Many large e/qs had occured in the past but the run-ups
less
devastating than other places in the area. Reasons possibly I think is due to the unusual depth of
the
harbour >100m and the presence of channels and humps on sea-bed could help to break the waves.
Perhaps someone out there can give their comment.
Best Regards,
Parminder Singh
Researcher
Malaysia
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