After the strong earthquake in Jishishan County, the originally peaceful village was instantly plunged into panic. After a loud "boom", I saw that the ground suddenly turned up one by one, and the loess overflowed the instep like water.
"Run!" The villagers shouted in panic, but it was too late. A wave of loess up to 3 meters high swept in, and before the villagers could react, they were drowned by the huge wave.
"Help me!" The frightened cries of the villagers for help came and went, but it was pitch black, and no one could hear anyone. The village, which had just been calm and peaceful, was reduced to a sea of mud, houses collapsed, and cars were swallowed up.
The villagers struggled in the thick loess slurry, choking on water and making it difficult to breathe.
"I'm going to be buried alive!" Some villagers shouted in despair, and the sticky loess had already flooded their mouths. The waves rolled, and the villagers were completely powerless in the face of death.
However, this sudden disaster continued, and the waves of loess swept through every corner like a wild beast. Faced with an unknown disaster, the villagers can only wait in despair, struggling on the edge of life and death......
But just when people thought that the disaster would not end, the 3-meter-high loess wave receded a few minutes later.
Only then did the surviving villagers realize that what had just happened was a terrible disaster called "loess liquefaction". What are the causes and harms of this seemingly sudden disaster?
A terrible earthquake caused the disaster
The sudden 3-meter-high loess wave turned out to be caused by a disaster called "loess liquefaction". What is Loess Liquefaction?
In fact, when an earthquake occurs, the loess contains too much water, loses its bearing capacity under the vibration, and produces a liquid flow.
It shuddered to think that the ground on which we usually stand and live would suddenly turn into a sticky flowing mud during an earthquake.
In fact, this is a "secondary disaster" caused by an earthquake. When loess liquefaction occurs, the originally solid ground will instantly soften and turn into a writhing slurry, and all buildings and life can be swallowed up without warning.
"Whoa—"
"Help!"
With a roar, one house after another swayed and tilted and sank in the liquefied loess, and before the villagers could react, they were swallowed up in the gurgling slurry flow. Their desperate cries for help drowned out in the thick waves of loess.
"Oh my God, what the hell!"
"Oh no, the road is all down, we're stuck!"
Fields and smooth roads turned into mud in an instant during the earthquake, the earth cracked and settled, and all transportation and rescue efforts were paralyzed.
In the face of this sudden change, countless villagers can only watch as their homes turn into a sea of loess in the earthquake, and they themselves may be buried in it at any time.
Although the probability of occurrence is not high, the devastation caused by the liquefaction of loess is very terrible. Not only will it destroy buildings, but it will also take lives. In fact, it has been recognized as an emerging "earthquake killer".
In the face of such a terrible "loess liquefaction", how can we avoid its heavy damage, and how can we save ourselves from it? This requires further analysis of the causes and mechanisms of this disaster......
The essence of loess liquefaction is that the water content in the loess is too high and the cohesion decreases due to earthquakes, which eventually causes the loess to lose its bearing capacity and flow in a liquid state.
Loess has a large number of micropores, which allows it to hold more groundwater. Once the water table rises, the water content of the loess will be too high.
The composition of loess contains a large number of clay minerals, and once these minerals absorb water and expand, they will destroy the internal structure of loess and weaken the shear strength of loess.
Under the action of strong ground motion, the cohesion between the loess particles is destroyed, the loess loses its bearing capacity, and finally presents liquefied flow.
Once loess liquefaction occurs, the devastation is staggering: large swaths of buildings can tilt and collapse in the liquefied loess, burying the lives within.
Infrastructure such as roads and bridges can also collapse in an instant, and communications can be completely disrupted.
The liquefied loess may also turn into a thick slurry flow, which will quickly spread and occupy the surrounding area, increasing the difficulty of rescue. Even mild liquefaction can lead to subsidence of the foundation, and serious damage to various facilities such as displacement and tilting.
There are more secondary disasters, and the probability of disasters such as ground tilting, ground fissure, and collapse is greatly increased. Farmland and grassland may be covered by loess slurry flow, and the ecological environment will be seriously damaged.
It can be seen that the damage to the safety of life and property caused by loess liquefaction is all-round. It is not only a "killer weapon" for secondary disasters caused by earthquakes, but will also seriously hinder post-disaster reconstruction work.
We must confront the terrible power of this new scourge. In the face of loess liquefaction, how can we save ourselves?
In the face of loess liquefaction, how to avoid risks scientifically
Loess liquefaction is so terrible and devastating, how can we face it in order to avoid the loss of life and property to the greatest extent?
In fact, we should take the necessary precautions before the liquefaction of loess occurs. For example, attention should be paid to areas with a high incidence of loess liquefaction such as ravines and slope bottoms, and once signs of freezing on the surface and rising groundwater levels are found, they should be drained immediately to reduce the water content of loess.
Only by "taking precautions" can we reduce the possibility of liquefaction at the source.
"Help, help!" The villagers struggled desperately in the rolling waves of loess, but all around them were trapped in liquefied mud, and there was nowhere to escape.
"Brother Liu, grab my hand!" Zhang Yue, a village cadre, found Uncle Liu, a struggling villager, in the loess waves, and without saying a word, he stretched out a life-saving straw to him.
"Thank you!" Uncle Liu grabbed his hand tightly, and with his support, he escaped from the loess wave of death with difficulty.
"Everyone supports each other, and we must let the elderly and children go first!" The village cadres shouted and instructed everyone to escape in an orderly manner. The villagers pushed me and finally escaped from the disaster.
In fact, the flow speed of loess liquefaction is not particularly fast, and an adult normal person can often get out of danger. Therefore, in the face of danger, we must stay calm, overcome fear, support each other, and strive for a glimmer of life.
In addition, it is necessary to choose some high places such as hills, high platforms and other fixed points to gather to avoid danger, and avoid gathering in low-lying places. At the same time, you should prepare some water, dry food and other supplies with you, so that you can continue to survive after the danger is lifted.
As long as we have hope and remain calm, we will be able to survive the liquefaction of loess caused by the earthquake. Let's face this relentless disaster together and protect ourselves and our families!
Specifically, in the face of loess liquefaction, we can take the following scientific risk avoidance measures:
Know the areas where loess liquefaction is high in your area and avoid living in these dangerous areas. In particular, care should be taken to avoid the foot of the hillside and the sides of the ravine.
If a situation that may induce liquefaction is found in the near future, such as surface cracking and rising groundwater level, it should be reported to the relevant authorities immediately and temporary relocation should be considered.
In the event of liquefaction, move quickly to higher ground and stay away from targets that may collapse, such as buildings and power poles.
If you are trapped, try to build a simple shelter using furniture, wooden planks, etc., and make a sound by tapping it to guide the rescue.
If there is no shelter, try to lie on the ground and cover your face with your hands to avoid being drowned.
After a disaster, pay attention to whether the ground is dented and whether the building is tilted, and assess the disaster risk before entering the building. Attention should be paid to hygiene to prevent contact with contaminated water sources and cause disease infection.
As long as we are vigilant, take precautions before disasters, and calmly save ourselves during disasters, we will definitely be able to reduce the harm of loess liquefaction and protect the safety of life and property.
epilogue
From the 3-meter-high loess wave engulfing the village, to the analysis of the terrible earthquake disaster of loess liquefaction, to how we should scientifically avoid danger in the face of loess liquefaction, it can be seen.
In the face of this new type of disaster, we must not only remain rational and avoid panic, but also actively grasp the scientific knowledge of risk avoidance and be prepared, so as to reduce the loss of life and property.
In fact, loess liquefaction is only one of the many secondary disasters of earthquakes. In the aftermath of an earthquake, landslides, craters, fires, etc., can kill in an instant.
In the face of these unknown disasters, we must remain sober and rational and help each other in order to overcome the difficulties.
In this loess liquefaction disaster, we also saw a lot of warmth and hope - the villagers supported and rescued each other, and no one flinched and gave up in the face of the disaster.
It is this kind of love and courage that has helped everyone overcome this disaster, which is worthy of our Xi and admiration. The relationship between man and nature has always been like a double-edged sword, and we must respect the power of nature while giving full play to the brilliance of human nature.
As long as we are not afraid of difficulties and enhance our knowledge of disaster prevention, we will be able to protect ourselves more calmly, rationally and intelligently when the next disaster strikes. Let's join hands to meet the challenges of disasters!