A particular news item in a national broadsheet on December 10, 2011 captured my undivided attention. It was aptly titled "US study links tropical typhoons to earthquakes" as it posed highly grave implications to the Philippines' status as the world's most disaster-prone country. However, other pressing personal concerns caused me lose the grasp of its importance until several days later.
When I remembered about it, I tried to look for it at said broadsheet's website without success. With the recent devastating earthquake of magnitude 6.9 which hit several provinces in the Visayas, the overwhelming importance of the aforementioned news spurred my determinaion to research Google about it. I was fortunate enough to find an article which I deem reflective of the news item I failed to retrieve the needed copy.
(Source: Google) 'ABC Science carries "Study links tropical cyclones to earthquakes" on Friday, 9 December 2011.' As quoted: "US researchers say they have found evidence that tropical cyclones in Haiti and Taiwan were followed by earthquakes, suggesting that heavy rains and landslides may unleash temblors." "Very wet rains are the trigger," says University of Miami scientist Dr. Shimon Wdowinski, an associate research professor of marine geology and geophysics.
"The heavy rains induce thousand of landslides and severe erosion, which removes ground materials from the Earth's surface, releasing the stress load and encouraging movement along faults." "Wdowinski and a colleague from Florida International University analyzed data from major earthquakes magnitude six and higher in Taiwan and Haiti over the past 50 years and found that large quakes tended to follow within four years of a very wet tropical cyclone season."
The above findings connote alarming and ominous significance on the recent catastrophic events which have occurred and may happen again and again in our country. The tropical storm which devastated Cagayan de Oro and Iligan and the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that ravaged several places in the Visayas seem interrelated which must spur the government and the people to take a general preparedness program. It's a given that at least 20 tropical storms a year visit the country and considering the existence of various faults crisscrossing the archipelago, then earthquakes of varying magnitudes are expected to take place anywhere.
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