Earth has been struck by natural disasters for millions of years. As the human race advances, there are technological advancements in predictions and prevention. "Shaking and vibration at the surface of the earth resulting from underground movement along a fault plane of from volcanic activity" (Princeton University, 1997). Due to the shaking and vibration there will be a small rumble felt or it could be a largely destructive quake. These large and damaging quakes have caused massive devastation. One massive quake was the quake of Kobe, Japan. On January 17th 1995 at 5:46am, there was a large earthquake with the magnitude of 7.2 according to the Richter scale (Bradfor, 2001). The earthquake that hit Kobe that lasted all of 20 seconds has caused many problems in all areas of life. There have been many short and long term environmental changes due to the earthquake, as well as geographical. The social and economical, short...