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Large earthquakes often occur far from the most densely populated regions of the Earth. But they can still kill many people. When even a moderate quake hits a developed, populated area (such as San Francisco or Japan), the damage can be more more severe.

Probably the single biggest reason why the 2011 Japan quake caused less deaths than the much smaller, weaker 2010 Haiti quake would be the stringent building codes in Japan, versus Haiti which had no real building codes. Japan is a very technological, safety and quality-focused nation. Japan has a long history facing calamity from earthquakes and tsunami, going back centuries, and tragedies of the past has taught the Japanese government and people to always be prepared. They make their buildings to withstand earthquakes, and build great seawalls to protect against the horrors of tsunami. Tragically during the 2011 earthquake, the tsunami that struck was bigger than the walls had been designed for. Fortunately the Japanese government and culture is focused on safety and discipline, and from an early age, the Japanese are taught what to do when an earthquake strikes, to get to safe places if a tsunami is likely. The death toll is still horrific and devastating and not to be diminished, but many people were saved by the combination of the tsunami warning system and the education that Japanese people receive to heed tsunami warning sirens and get to higher ground.

Most places along the United States' west coast are prepared for moderate to large earthquakes, though not for earthquakes as strong as Japan's. A Haiti-sized earthquake striking Seattle or Los Angeles would likely not cause anywhere near the loss of life and infrastructure damage that it did in Haiti. However, because earthquakes are rare, cities and states in the United States farther inland and on the east coast are not prepared. New York only adopted its first earthquake building code in 1995, and it was only stipulated to make new buildings able to withstand an earthquake about one-tenth the intensity of the Haitian quake. No older buildings are required to be retrofitted, which means most of New York City's skyskrapers would be vulnerable and a Haiti-sized earthquake striking New York City would likely cause much more catastrophic death tolls than were it to strike cities on the West Coast where building codes are stronger.

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