A Weather Watch is a notice to advise affected agencies of the potential for warning-level weather conditions before actually issuing the warning, allowing affected agencies advance notice to prepare. A Weather Warning is a special notice provided when a weather condition severe enough to pose a hazard to property or life is occurring or is suspected to occur. Earthquakes are among the most powerful events on earth, and their results can be terrifying. A severe earthquake may release energy 10,000 times as great as that of the first atomic bomb. Rock movements during an earthquake can make rivers change their course.
Earthquakes can trigger landslides that cause great damage and loss of life.
Earthquakes almost never kill people directly. Instead, many deaths and injuries in earthquakes result from falling objects and the collapse of buildings, bridges, and other structures. Fire resulting from broken gas or power lines are another major danger during a quake. Spills of hazardous chemicals are also a concern. The force of an earthquake depends on how much rock breaks and how far it shifts.