Earthquakes are some of the most destructive
and unpredictable natural disasters on the planet.
With little to no warning as to when an earthquake will occur,
the massive damage it can cause to buildings, cars and roadways
and dangerous aftermath with large aftershocks
massive fires and even tsunamis,
earthquakes are rightfully, some of the most feared
and fascinating forces of nature.
With cameras being as widespread as they are today,
massive amounts of footage of these natural disasters
has been shared around the internet.
Natural disaster videos
remain some of the most popular videos on YouTube
accounting for hundreds of millions of views on the site.
Our morbid fascination with the most destructive events
lends a sense of empathy
as we come to terms with the destruction in these videos.
We've compiled, some of the most shocking
and significant footage of earthquakes ever recorded
to show the fact, that in many cases
our lives may be in the hands of a merciless earth.
So here are five
of the most shocking earthquakes ever recorded.
Sit back and be thankful
that you are not part of these truly terrifying events.
Loma Prieta earthquake.
On October the 17th 1989,
the bay area felt it's most destructive earthquake
since the historic 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake
centred near Loma Prieta, California,
shook the entire bay area and could be felt
nearly 400 miles away in Los Angeles.
An estimated 6 billion dollars in damages was done
throughout the bay area
and 67 people died
due to the destructive nature of this earthquake.
What makes the Loma Prieta earthquake so intriguing
is that it was the first time
that such an earthquake had such immediate and live coverage.
With security and video cameras
becoming ubiquitous throughout the 80's,
many shops, classrooms and pedestrians
captured live footage of the earthquakes as it happened.
This was the first time in history,
that such a destructive earthquake was live documented
in such extensive detail.
Take a look at some of the footage captured by civilians on that day.
"...control and was fighting with us, for, second place..." [Rumbling]
"Gosh!"
"Thomas, we need to go down there and help"
"I'm gonna need somethin' to pry the door open,
get me a crowbar!"
"...screaming, and uh, just begging us to get him out, we tried everything..."
"HELP!"
"....it, so it's important that we need to...
[Rumbling]
...uh oh, Spike!"
"...cmon Spikey, cmon! cmon..."
[Rumbling]
Additionally, the 1989 world series
between the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants
was taking place at the time.
Game 3 of the series was scheduled to begin at 5:35pm
just 30 minutes after the massive earthquake struck.
This meant, that millions of people across the United States
were watching live in anticipation of the game
and had no idea just what kind of shocking footage they were in for.
Here's a close look at the moment
when the earthquake struck the bay on live television
in front of millions of viewers.
"...and he fails to get Dave Parker, at, second base so the Oakland A's take..."
"..take A..."
"...I'll tell ya what we're having an earth..."
Massive destruction was shown to millions of viewers who had tuned in,
two major roadway collapses occurred
including the top roadway of the Bay Bridge partially collapsing
and the Cypress Street Viaduct
a major thoroughfare in Oakland
on route to the Bay Bridge, that fully collapsed due to the earthquake.
The destructive power of the earthquake was heavily visible
and caused multiple people to lose their lives that evening.
While the Loma Prieta earthquake
may not have been the most destructive earthquake
even in U.S. history
it definitely had one of the largest cultural impacts
surrounding society's consciousness of earthquakes.
The extensive live coverage, massive visibility
and collection of amateur footage surrounding this earthquake
fascinated and terrified many viewers.
This earthquake, may be in part responsible
for the popularity of such compilations of footage on YouTube today.
Building collapses during 2017 Mexico City earthquake.
September the 19th 2017
was the 32nd anniversary
of the massive 1985 Mexico City earthquake,
a magnitude 8 earthquake which claimed over 10,000 lives
and destroyed thousands of buildings around the city.
On this day, the victims of this national tragedy were honoured
and earthquake drills were put into effect
in an effort to be prepared.
Little did anyone know,
what a terrifying coincidence this would turn out to be
as the earth would once again rumble
like it had 32 years prior.
Around 1pm that day, a massive 7.1 earthquake
hit near the town of Puebla, Mexico.
close, to the greater Mexico City area
frightfully similar to that day in 1985
multiple building collapses throughout the region took place.
Whereas most of the footage that exists of the 1985 earthquake,
shows only the aftermath,
these clips from 2017
show the moments in which these buildings collapsed.
some just a few feet from being crushed by the rubble.
Take a look.
The 2017 Puebla earthquake resulted in 370 deaths,
a fortunate decline from the 1985 earthquake
but a remarkably high death toll still.
6,000 people reported injuries after the earthquake
and extensive building collapses
rang up millions in property damage throughout the city.
It seems almost cruel, that another earthquake would occur
on the same exact day as a different destructive day.
Let us hope that another quake
does not come along 30 years from now.
2016 Ecuador earthquake.
On April the 16th 2016
a magnitude 7.8 earthquake
sent severe shockwaves across the entire country.
Centred near the coastal village of Muisne,
this earthquake was felt throughout the entire country
and even in other nearby countries
such as Columbia and Peru.
Footage of the earthquake was captured all across the country
including Ecuador's capital, Quito
and the most sever damage occurred
in Manta, Pedernales and Portoviejo.
The footage captured, is some of the most violent
and visceral of any earthquake put to film.
Take a look at these clips captured from the Portoviejo region.
Throughout the video clips, you can see the extent of the damages
occurring both inside shops and out on the street.
People are in panic
running towards the closest clear area they can get to
out of shop doors and away from cars and other falling debris.
Clouds of dust and rubble
can be seen shooting across the screen
as the cameras shake violently during the earthquake.
This earthquake left 676 people killed
and over 16,000 people injured across Ecuador,
many of which were in Portoviejo
where this footage was captured.
These are the kinds of clips that give those
who live on or near fault lines, nightmares.
This earthquake happened along the Nazca
and South American tectonic plates,
plates, that are known to be extremely active
as the Nazca plate is subducting below the South American plate.
This kind of subduction, creates high tectonic activity
which can be especially dangerous
for those who live close to these faults.
All we can hope,
is that those that were affected by this massive earthquake
were able to recover safely and effectively.
Haiti Port-au-Prince earthquake
January the 12th 2010
saw one of the deadliest earthquakes in human history take place,
the Haiti Earthquake.
This was a magnitude 7 earthquake
that struck just 16 miles from the capital of Haiti,
Port-au-Prince, in the middle of the day.
While a magnitude, it's one of the weaker earthquakes on this list
it's destructive force was magnified
due to the intense poverty and poor housing conditions
as well as poor, structural integrity of many buildings in Haiti.
The intense earthquake
with it's epicentre so close to such a densely populated city
saw massive destruction of buildings and loss of life.
The death toll isn't clear, but was still absolutely massive,
with estimates between
100,000 and a quarter of a million presumed dead.
So many died
that many ended up buried in mass grave sites
rather than through proper burial proceedings.
An estimated 250,000 homes and apartments
as well as 30,000 commercial buildings were destroyed by the earthquake
making this one of the most destructive earthquakes
in all of human history.
Haiti is a relatively impoverish nation
and so, not much live footage was available
of the earthquake from the ground when it occurred.
However the footage we do have
shows just how terrifyingly powerful this earthquake was.
Take a look.
These videos display,
just how immensely destructive this earthquake was
and how easily buildings fell
due to the sheer magnitude of the quake.
The streets of Port-au-Prince look like a scene
out of an apocalypse movie
with clouds of dust from the demolished buildings
choking and surrounding the inhabitants on the street.
Buildings toppled in mere seconds
way too little time for many to escape their unfortunate fates.
Because of the magnitude of these quakes,
massive relief efforts were launched to help rebuild the nation
and provide aid to those who survived
but lost their homes, power, food and fresh water.
Unfortunately, many of these people
are still struggling in the wake of this destructive earthquake.
As of 2017, the U.N. estimated
that over 2.5 million locals are still in need of aid
and at least 55,000 are still living in temporary encampments.
Millions still do not have reliable access to fresh water or power.
In addition, other disasters such as hurricanes
and the spread of diseases such as cholera
have worsened conditions and prolonged the suffering
of many in the nation.
In a day and age
where our new cycle changes from second to second
it's sobering to take a step back and look at just what happens
when we leave these humanitarian issues behind.
Hopefully with further intervention and a bit of luck,
the citizens of Haiti can rise from this horrific tragedy.
2010 Chilean earthquake.
500 times more powerful than the Haiti earthquake,
was the 2010 Chilean earthquake,
which took place on February the 27th 2010.
This was the sixth largest earthquake in recorded history
with a magnitude 8.8 registered on the Richter Scale.
Similar to the Ecuador earthquake in 2016,
this quake was caused by the subduction
of the Nazca plate under the South American plate.
Chile in particular
has historically
had many earthquakes caused by this subduction
including the most powerful earthquake in recorded history,
a magnitude 9.6 that happened in 1960
near the epicentre of the 2010 quake.
Unlike most of the earthquakes on this list
which lasted around 20 to 30 seconds at most,
the initial quake lasted for over 3 minutes.
Tremors were felt up to 1500 miles away
and just take a look at some of the intense clips.
"Tonight, security footage has been released showing the moments
when the 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck central Chile
it's now confirmed that at least 147 people have died.
Many buildings have collapsed and several areas are without power
a state of catastrophe has been declared after what was
the most destructive quake in 50 years.
Countries in the pacific rim are on tsunami alert meantime,
warning sirens are sounding in Hawaii
while Samoa has evacuated it's coast"
The massive earthquake took the lives of 525 people
and damaged the homes of nearly 10% of the people
living near the epicentre of the earthquake.
370,000 homes throughout the country
experienced some sort of damage.
Major damages and crisis were averted
thanks to the majority or major structures being built upon rollers
that are meant to distribute the force of such massive earthquakes.
Chile is an incredibly active zone for earthquakes
and a few powerful ones such as this have occurred in the region since.
What may be most shocking of all about these quakes,
is how the region is able to cope with and bounce back from
such terrifying forces of nature.
We may be able to learn more
about how to best deal with earthquakes
from studying those that occur in Chile.
Though mostly, it may be more wise
to just stay away from these fault lines altogether.
So that's five
incredibly shocking and powerful earthquakes caught on video.
Take a moment to appreciate how lucky you are
if you have never had to experience anything like this.
Thanks for watching
and I'll see you
in the next video.