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1990 Luzon Earthquake Impact and Lessons

The 1990 Luzon earthquake in the Philippines caused significant damage. [1] The magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck northern and central Luzon on July 16, 1990, with its epicenter in Nueva Ecija. [2] It produced a 125 km surface rupture and was felt across 20,000 square kilometers. [3] Hardest hit were Baguio, Cabanatuan, and Dagupan with collapsed buildings and over 1,000 deaths despite rescue efforts hampered by landslides. [4-5] Proper public education and earthquake drills, as well as strict enforcement of building codes, are needed to reduce future loss of life from earthquakes. [6]

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60 views1 page

1990 Luzon Earthquake Impact and Lessons

The 1990 Luzon earthquake in the Philippines caused significant damage. [1] The magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck northern and central Luzon on July 16, 1990, with its epicenter in Nueva Ecija. [2] It produced a 125 km surface rupture and was felt across 20,000 square kilometers. [3] Hardest hit were Baguio, Cabanatuan, and Dagupan with collapsed buildings and over 1,000 deaths despite rescue efforts hampered by landslides. [4-5] Proper public education and earthquake drills, as well as strict enforcement of building codes, are needed to reduce future loss of life from earthquakes. [6]

Uploaded by

Adian Candido
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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1.

The event was a result of strike-slip movements along the Philippine Fault and the Digdig Fault within the
Philippine Fault System.

2. At around 4 pm on July 16, 1990, a magnitude-7.8 earthquake hit Northern and Central Luzon. Its epicenter was
recorded in Nueva Ecija, and the shaking lasted for about a minute. Among the hardest hit areas were the cities of
Baguio, Cabanatuan in Nueva Ecija, and Dagupan in Pangasinan.

3. The earthquake produced a 125-km long ground rupture that stretched from Dingalan, Aurora to Kayapa, Nueva
Ecija. It caused a lot of damages within an area of about 20,000 square kilometers, stretching from the mountains
of Cordillera Administrative Region and through the Central Luzon Region.

4. No one, not even the Philippine Institute of Volcanology as Seismology, can predict when and where an
earthquake will strike and how strong it will be in that time. That’s why it’s a must that we make effort to support
disaster preparedness, to prevent disasters jut the 1990 Luzon Earthquake.
5. All types of buildings, including several resort hotels in Baguio, known as the Philippines’ Summer
Capital, suff ered tremendous damage. Most of the city’s 100,000 residents slept outdoors that
evening and during the following week, afraid to return to their homes amid the frequent
aft ershocks. For days, workers pulled bodies from the demolished buildings in Baguio. The best
esti mate is that 1,000 bodies were eventually recovered. At least another 1,000 people suff ered
serious injuries. Rescue eff orts were hampered severely because the three main roads into the city
were blocked by landslides. Hundreds of motorists were stranded on the roads as well. Outside of
Baguio, a chemical factory fi re also caused  terrible damage. The Tuba gold and copper mine in the
area lost 30 workers when a mine collapsed.

6. To prevent the loss of many lives in the earthquake; Public needs to respond properly during

earthquakesn because not much attention was given to disasters, especially earthquakes, at the

time. In fact, earthquake drills were unheard of then.

Fortunately, earthquake drills are often conducted lately. Also it is important for people to be

aware of the hazards in their areas so that if a disaster happens, they are not left clueless about

development. Lastly building codes should be implemented properly, and land use should be

carefully planned despite having several collapsed and destroyed buildings, a good number of

them were left standing then. The country's building code is actually good, but the problem lies

in implementation. Good design, quality materials, and good workmanship are needed for a

disaster-resilient building.

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