earth science

Vertical and horizontal evacuation

Vertical and horizontal evacuation is a earth science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Vertical and horizontal evacuation rather than just read about it. In short: Vertical and horizontal evacuation are strategies for providing safety to humans in case of tsunami, hurricane or other natural disaster. Vertical evacuation In areas where horizontal evacuation to higher ground is impossible, vertical evacuation to higher areas of a structure may be a way to shelter individuals from the surge of water, several meters high, that can follow an earthquake in coastal areas.

Key takeaways

Vertical and horizontal evacuation belongs to earth science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Vertical and horizontal evacuation to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Vertical and horizontal evacuation from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Vertical and horizontal evacuation are strategies for providing safety to humans in case of tsunami, hurricane or other natural disaster.

Vertical evacuation

In areas where horizontal evacuation to higher ground is impossible, vertical evacuation to higher areas of a structure may be a way to shelter individuals from the surge of water, several meters high, that can follow an earthquake in coastal areas.

In the United States The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency published design guidelines for vertical evacuation structures in 2008. According to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, serious discussions about vertical evacuation began in the United States following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The American Society of Civil Engineers adopted an updated edition of its building standards in September 2016, including tsunami hazards for the first time. The first vertical evacuation site in the United States was Ocosta Elementary School, constructed in 2015–2016 on the Pacific Ocean coast in Westport, Washington, where a Cascadia subduction zone magnitude 9+ earthquake is expected to cause great tsunamis.

Horizontal evacuation

An alternative to vertical evacuation is horizontal evacuation, for instance a hurricane evacuation route. Critics of vertical evacuation planning have charged it with justifying even greater human density in areas prone to disaster, and prefer low density growth with horizontal evacuation planning.

See also Emergency shelter Tsunami § Mitigation

References

Bibliography Beatley, Timothy; Brower, David; Schwab, Anna K. (2002), "Coastal pressures and critical management issues", An Introduction to Coastal Zone Management (Second ed.), Island Press, ISBN 9781559639156 "Vertical evacuation and other strategies" (PDF), Cascadia Subduction Zone Earthquakes: A Magnitude 9..0 Earthquake Scenario (2013 update ed.), Cascadia Region Earthquake Workgroup (CREW), 2013, p. 22 Designing for Tsunamis, National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program (NOAA, FEMA, USGS, Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington State), March 2001 Penuel, K. Bradley; Statler, Matt, eds. (2010), "Evacuation, types of", Encyclopedia of Disaster Relief, SAGE Publications, ISBN 9781452266398, The term vertical evacuation refers to a social process where agents relocate from one threatened area to an upper area or areas of the same physical structure.

Further reading Ruch, Carlton E., ed. (1991), The Feasibility of Vertical Evacuation: Behavioral, Legal, Political, and Structural Considerations, Volume 52 of Program on environment and behavior, Institute of Behavirol Science, University of Colorado, ISBN 9781877943058

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Vertical and horizontal evacuation

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Vertical and horizontal evacuation claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In earth science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Vertical and horizontal evacuation before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Vertical and horizontal evacuation ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Vertical and horizontal evacuation

In research: Vertical and horizontal evacuation appears in earth science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Vertical and horizontal evacuation in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Vertical and horizontal evacuation is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Earthquake and seismic risk mitigation, Emergency management, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Vertical and horizontal evacuation outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Vertical and horizontal evacuation in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Vertical and horizontal evacuation means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Vertical and horizontal evacuation out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Vertical and horizontal evacuation in simple terms?

Vertical and horizontal evacuation are strategies for providing safety to humans in case of tsunami, hurricane or other natural disaster. Vertical evacuation In areas where horizontal evacuation to higher ground is impossible, vertical evacuation to higher areas of a structure may be a way to shelt…

Why does Vertical and horizontal evacuation matter?

Because it connects several earth science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Vertical and horizontal evacuation?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Vertical and horizontal evacuation.