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Eugene -Springfield Area Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan <br />2. Hazard Descriptions <br />History of Impact in Eugene -Springfield <br />There have been no dam failures in Oregon due to an earthquake. No historical <br />local occurrences have been recorded, but the impact of large earthquakes on dams <br />has been observed in other areas. Research shows 1.5 percent of embankment dam <br />failures have been attributed to earthquakes, which is the most common form of <br />dam to fail in a seismic incident.20 According to the International Commission on <br />Large Dams (ICOLD), until the 2011 earthquake in Japan no casualties had been <br />attributed to a dam or levee failure induced by an earthquake. 21 <br />The 2008, magnitude 8.0, earthquake in China caused 1,803 concrete and <br />embankment dams, and 403 hydropower plants to be damaged with no complete <br />failures.22 The 2010, 8.8 magnitude, earthquake in Chile damaged several dams, <br />also with no complete failures. During the 2011 earthquake in Japan roughly seven <br />dams and hundreds of levees had suffered damage. Only one of these, the Fujinami <br />irrigation dam, had a complete failure resulting in the only known casualties from <br />an earthquake induced dam failure. This failure destroyed five homes and killed <br />eight people. It is thought this impact was magnified by inadequate design and <br />construction. 23 <br />Risk of Impact <br />Based on history and the condition of the dams and levees in and around the Eugene <br />and Springfield area, the risk from an earthquake induced failure is low. <br />Epidemics <br />Historically, fears of disease outbreaks after a natural disaster have been a <br />prominent concern. Despite this, epidemics following natural disasters are rare, <br />especially in developed countries.24 25 After a natural disaster, water related <br />"United States. US Army Corps of Engineers and US Department of the Interior. Best Practices in <br />Dam andLevee Safety Risk Analysis IV-6 Seismic Risksfor Embankments. April 2,2015. Accessed <br />October 2017. httDs://www.usbr.aov/ssle/damsafetv/risk/BestPractices/Presentations/IV-6- <br />21 Wieland, Martin. "Dam safety and earthquakes." International WaterPower & Dam Construction, <br />August 2010, 12-14. Accessed October 2017. <br />https://www.preventionweb.net/files/15259 9694491.1)df <br />22 United States. United States Society of Dams. Observed Performance of Dams During <br />Earthquakes Vol. III February 2014. Accessed August 2019. https://damfailures. ore/wp- <br />content/uploads/2018/02/EQPerfo2 v3.pdf <br />21 United States. United States Army Corps of Engineers Portland District. "Don't freak out: Dams <br />generally do well in earthquakes." January 2016. Accessed October 2017. <br />http://usaceportland.armylive.dodlive.miFindex.php/2016/01/shakeout-dont-freak-out-dams- <br />generally-do-we ll-in-e arthguakes/ <br />24 Lemonick, David M. "Epidemics after natural disasters." American Journal of Clinical Medicine <br />8, no. 3 (2011): 144-152. https://www.aal)sus.org/wp-content/uploads/aicrosix.pdf <br />21 Watson, John T., Michelle Gayer, and Maire A. Connolly. "Epidemics after natural disasters." <br />Emerging infectious diseases 13, no. 1 (2007): 1-5 <br />2-13 January 2020 <br />