Geophysical processes and biosphere: article

Аnnotation: Strong earthquakes have a direct impact not only on the natural environment and engineering infrastructure, but also on people's health, including their psycho-emotional state. In 2020–2021, a series of strong seismic events took place in the Southern Baikal region, which were felt over a large area and caused a wide public outcry. The Bystraya (September 21, 2020, Mw = 5.6), Kudara (December 9, 2020, Mw = 5.5) and Khovsgol (January 11, 2021, Mw = 6.8) earthquakes provided an infrequent opportunity to collect a large amount of factual data on psychological reactions of eyewitnesses. The concern of the population was expressed, among other things, in numerous «false» reports of felt shaking, received through the Internet-questionnaire posted on the Baikal Branch of the FRC «GS RAS» website (http://seis-bykl.ru). During the period from August 2020 to August 2021, 1087 responses were received, which cannot be unambiguously associated with the date and time of instrumentally recorded earthquakes. Content analysis of «false» reports indicates that against the background of high seismic activity, the population of the region experienced deprivation of basic needs, increased anxiety, and an unstable psycho-emotional state. The rapid spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus infection has become a complicating factor contributing to the emergence of a stressful state among the population. The consequence of this was the emergence of the syndrome of «learned helplessness» among the population, as well as the appearance of auditory, visual and emotional aberrations. The results obtained in this study can be used to develop preventive measures in order to mitigate the socio-psychological consequences of future strong earthquakes.