title: Analysis of worldwide earthquake mortality using multivariate demographic and seismic data.
abstract: In this paper, mortality in the immediate aftermath of an earthquake is studied on a worldwide scale using multivariate analysis. A statistical method is presented that analyzes reported earthquake fatalities as a function of a heterogeneous set of parameters selected on the basis of their presumed influence on earthquake mortality. The ensemble was compiled from demographic, seismic, and reported fatality data culled from available records of past earthquakes organized in a geographic information system. The authors consider the statistical relation between earthquake mortality and the available data ensemble, analyze the validity of the results in view of the parametric uncertainties, and propose a multivariate mortality analysis prediction method. The analysis reveals that, although the highest mortality rates are expected in poorly developed rural areas, high fatality counts can result from a wide range of mortality ratios that depend on the effective population size.
authors.affiliation: European Laboratory for Structural Assessment Unit, Joint Research Centre-Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen, Via E. Fermi 1, TP 480 Ispra 21020 (VA), Italy. eugenio.gutierrez@jrc.it
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Taucer
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: De Groeve
authors.forename: D H A
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Al-Khudhairy
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Zaldivar
mesh_terms: D004189:Disaster Planning / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004190:Disasters / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000401:mortality*