On March 28, 2025, a powerful earthquake hit the country of Myanmar (Burma). This earthquake scored a 7.8 on the Magnitude Scale, putting it among some of the biggest earthquakes in the early 21st century. The Myanmar Earthquake hit near Mandalay, the second largest city in the country, but also affected surrounding countries, including Thailand, China, and Vietnam. Raking up over 10 billion dollars in damages, this earthquake is thought to be the most impactful in Southern Asia in the last century. Thousands of people were killed, but even more were left injured or stranded without homes.
On April 16, 2025, a second earthquake hit approximately 10 miles from Mandalay. It had a Magnitude score of 4.4 and caused more damage to the still-recovering society. Disasters like these have drawn a lot of attention from around the world, not just because of their seriousness, but also because of the warning they give about other earthquake-prone areas.
The Myanmar Earthquake has left massive devastation behind it, and Myanmar’s citizens have been left to deal with the aftermath. Entire neighborhoods were destroyed, roads cracked open, power lines fell, and water systems stopped working, leaving many people without electricity or clean water. 50,000 homes were either completely decimated or damaged to the point that they are now unlivable. Over 5,400 people were killed, with more than 11,000 others injured and numerous people still reported missing. Around 2,000 government buildings, such as schools, hospitals, and police stations, collapsed, and people who were inside during the quake lost their lives. All these damages together will take several decades to recover from.
Throughout all of this, citizens in Myanmar needed emergency help, but were unable to get it due to the current civil war. In some regions, fighting ceased to allow rescue teams to come in, but other areas were not as fortunate. In the Sagand region for instance, the military took advantage of the momentary distraction and kept their airstrikes, preventing aid to many people who needed it.
Myanmar wasn’t the only country affected by the earthquake. Its bordering countries also took a sizable amount of damage, including Thailand, parts of Vietnam and Southern China. For example, in Bangkok, Thailand, a very big and popular apartment building collapsed, killing at least 47 of its occupants and injuring numerous others. Emergency rescuers spent several hours digging through all the rubble to save those trapped inside.
After the earthquake, various aid-giving organizations and other countries worldwide began to help Myanmar and its citizens. India launched “Operation Brahma,” a program that sent rescue teams, doctors and other necessities. Some influential organizations that have chosen to help are: The Red Cross, the United Nations and Doctors Without Borders. These have supplied survivors food, water, tents and medical supplies. This is all wonderful, but a significant issue with it is the funding. The Red Cross stated that they have only received around 10 percent of the funds that they requested in their emergency appeal. This has caused a drastic shortage in food, water, medicine and supplies.
The Myanmar earthquake has people thinking about another earthquake, known as “The Big One”. This earthquake is predicted to be anywhere from eight to nine on the Seismic Magnitude Scale. The reason that “The Big One” is so scary is because it would happen in the Cascadia Subduction Zone, which is along the San Andreas Fault line. The San Andreas is one of the biggest Fault Lines in the Northern Hemisphere; it runs from Northern California, through Oregon and Washington, and into Canada. Not only would it cause major damage throughout Oregon, but it would most likely destroy Ida B. Wells High School as well. Specialists say that “The Big One” is due anytime in the next 50 years. This is because there is a huge earthquake in Cascadia every two hundred and 50 years, and the last one was roughly three hundred years ago. Once “The Big One” inevitably hits, cities like Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver will suffer huge damage. Roads and bridges could fall, buildings could collapse, and the west coast could also be hit by a giant tsunami as a result.
What happened in Myanmar warns us of the dangers earthquakes can bring, especially when the countries or people aren’t fully prepared. That’s why there are many emergency planners in North America that are working to improve the safety and stability of buildings, prepare rescue teams, and create early warning systems. These precautions could help prevent the loss of lives when “The Big One” finally comes.
