Earthquake in Taiwan

Courtesy of weather.com

Today the USGS reported a magnitude 6.3 earthquake occurred about 95 miles away from Taiwan's capital of Taipei, where buildings reportedly swayed for about ten seconds. The quake was centered in a remote, mountainous area so no major damage or casualties have been reported. Authorities have reported some scattered power outages as well as a few people trapped in elevators in the suburbs of Taipei. Luckily, the newer buildings in Taiwan have been constructed to withstand earthquakes, so in many cases like this, the damage is quite limited in city areas. Earthquakes are a frequently occurring hazard in Taiwan, but many of them are small and don't amount to much. 

There are a couple of things at play here. First, Taiwan is an example of a place where the people are educated enough to realize that they needed reinforced buildings because of where they are located. This preparedness likely saves a lot of lives each year compared to places at the same risk, but without strong building codes. Second, Taiwan is an example of a place where the frequency of earthquakes is high, but the risk of one happening with a very high magnitude is low. The people of this area assume that risk and bank on the fact that although these events are a common occurrence, they are rarely strong enough to do major damage.

http://www.weather.com/news/strong-earthquake-hits-eastern-taiwan-20131031