"Lisbon Disaster"

1- The disaster:

2-What happened? 

3-What were the injuries? How many people died? 

4-What was the damage? 

5-How did communities respond in the first days and weeks? 

6-How did communities respond in the long term? 

7-What was the (historical) significance of this disaster?  This question may require further research.

 

1. Lisbon earthquake of 1755, a sequence of earthquakes that happened on November first, 1755, suffered severe damage to Lisbon, Port.

2. Current evidence suggests that the primary seismic cause was the ocean bottom's defection around the Middle Atlantic's tectonic plate border (Coen 2012). The earthquake triggered a tsunami that caused waves around 20 feet (6 meters) strong in Lisbon and 65 feet (20 meters) and high in Cadiz, Spain. The waves migrated west to Martinique in the Caribbean Sea, a range of 3,790 miles (6,100 km and hit a level of 13 feet (4 meters) above average ocean level in ten hours. Harm has also been recorded in Algiers, 685 miles (1,100 km to the east).

3. It wounded almost thousands of worshippers and nearly 60 000 non-worshippers. According to (Pereira 2009), it is estimated that the number of deaths in Lisbon alone would be among 30,000 to 50,000 persons, rendering it one of the worst earthquakes recorded in the world.

4. Violent trembling destroyed major public infrastructures and house, and around 12,000 homes. Since November first was All Saints' Day, a significant portion of the population celebrated Mass at the earthquake; churches could not endure the powerful shocks, thus crushed, destroyed. Additionally, 85% of Lisbon buildings, particularly major palaces and libraries, were demolished and much of Portugal's iconic 16th-century Manueline architecture.

5. The earthquake intensified internal uncertainties in Portugal communities and deeply undermined the country's imperial aspirations. The incident was extensively debated and discussed by European Enlightenment thinkers and influenced new advancements in theodicy. As the first earthquake systematically investigated its impact over a wide area, it contributed to the beginning of modern seismology and earthquake engineering.

6. This prompted controversy between theologians about whether disasters such as earthquakes were actions of divine judgment or whether they'll be regarded more as unjustified natural phenomena. The quake and misery caused inspired thinkers like Voltaire to question certain optimism-based conceptions of the universe. What's more, Pope argued that all supposed bad would tend to be positive if we knew the world's more extensive nature.

7. Significantly, the earthquake had an enormous influence on civilization and culture in European societies. The quake hit an important holy feast and demolished almost every prominent church in a dedicated Roman Catholic area. Also, despite tight regulations, rates and salaries remained unpredictable in the years following the disaster. Lastly, the earthquake's recovery also led to an increase in the wage premium for construction professionals.