Social Responses To The Tangshan Earthquake

Abstract

A successful earthquake prediction would be of great benefit to reduce social and economic losses in seismically threatened communities. However, the impact of an earthquake prediction itself upon a community may be great; therefore, research on the social consequences of earthquake prediction is vitally important. The Tangshan earthquake of July 28, 1976 was not predicted by a short-term or imminent prediction which resulted in enormous loss of life and property damage occurred. However, a mid-term prediction had been issued. Using data from the social and economic survey on the Tangshan earthquake, public responses in Tianjin and Tangshan to this mid-term earthquake prediction will be investigated in this paper.