Earthquake Readiness Capacity Building Project 2009

WAYS TO REDUCE EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE &

CASUALTIES

This presentation is part of the POLICY MAKERS TOOLKIT of the CDERA Earthquake Readiness Public Awareness

& Education Campaign in the Caribbean 2009

This toolkit is downloadable from http://www.weready.org

EARTHQUAKE EXPOSUREIN CDERA MEMBER

STATES

ALL CDERA PARTICIPATING STATES

Areas near Trinidad and Martinique experience more earthquakes than other islands of the Eastern

Caribbean.

The presence of and adherence to valid seismic building codes is widely accepted as the most

effective earthquake mitigation measure.

(country-specific information Codes / regulations / legislation / zonation maps etc

to be inserted by respective users)

… this and as many pages as necessary….

Government authorities need to adopt and enforce appropriate codes that reflect the serious threat posed by earthquakes

and tsunamis. At the same time, these Authorities must also be familiar with existing codes and provisions, and put systems in place to

ensure their enforcement.

21 EARTHQUAKE MITIGATIONSMETHODS

FOR POLICY MAKERS

Reduce casualties and damage caused by earthquake and tsunami-related casualties and damage;

Increase the post-event availability & coping capacity of emergency responders;

Lessen the earthquake vulnerability of hospitals, police and fire stations.

OBJECTIVES

1. Develop and implement a vulnerability assessment programme that will: Identify structures of critical

importance Assess their vulnerability to

earthquakes Catalogue them in terms of

vulnerabilityPrioritise to retrofit to improve resilience

2. Ensure that new critical infrastructure is built earthquake-proof, to standards at or above seismic code.

*Priority public buildings /structures include hospitals and health care facilities, EOC headquarters and fire and police stations. Other critical infrastructure include schools, homes for the elderly, dams, bridges, public utilities, and other such public buildings.

CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

3. In the earthquake response phase, time is of the essence to minimize loss of life. Timeliness in initiating coordinated rescue efforts is highly dependent on the ability to communicate. Therefore, the resiliency of the telecommunication systems is of critical importance to earthquake coping capacity.

EOC and communication systems must be: fully and reliably operational before an earthquake capable of sustaining operations after an earthquake seismically robust contain backup facilities and resources well networked

COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

4. Conduct a programme to introduce earthquake resistant construction techniques to the building industry and the general public, including certification programmes.

5. Where necessary, invest in the development of construction techniques that are seismic resistant.

6. Enact legislation in those countries where it is required to mandate the use of updated seismic model codes. A valid and updated seismic model code needs to be

transformed into appropriate national building codes mandated through legislation or local ordinances.

CONSTRUCTION CODES & LESGISLATION

(LOCAL & REGIONAL)

7. Work with financial and insurance companies to encourage financial incentives to reinforce codes in use.

8. Find out more about CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) and its efforts to develop Regional Building Standards (RBS).

9. Pursue regional efforts to establish a common accredited residential construction curriculum that would be the basis of an artisan’s regional certification.

10. Promote the formation of national stakeholder working groups to develop model land use planning and building ordinances from the proposed National Building Codes.

SYNERGIES & PARTNERSHIPS

11. Request/allocate adequate budget and other resources (man-power, facilities, etc) for execution of required mitigation and response measures.

12. Invest resources to ensure compliance with updated code. Designers and builders need training in the use of the codes, and trained construction permit granters and inspectors are required to verify appropriate implementation.

RESOURCE ALLOCATION

13. Develop and enforce the seismic zonation map using (i) internationally accepted methods, (ii) up-to-date data, and (iii) transparent and repeatable procedures.

14. Determine which areas are safe for construction through analysis of the soil type and geological structure, and use this information to develop appropriate land use planning, zoning, development policies.

15. Make relevant guidelines readily available to designers, developers, builders and the general public as a means

of enhancing their ability to effectively inform site selection and building design.

SEISMIC ZONATION MAPS/ANALYSIS OF ZOOLOGY FACTORS

16. Institute incentives to remove unsafe buildings / buildings on unsafe sites or to upgrade their level of safety.

17. Institute incentives to encourage future development on safer sites and safer methods of construction through:

Land use controls (zoning). Enforced Building Codes and

Standards and means of enforcing them.

Favourable taxation, loans, or subsidies to qualify buildings, methods and sites.

Land development incentives.

INCENTIVES

18. Institute incentives to the vulnerable (in particular the urban poor) to facilitate their investment in retrofitting or relocation of their homes.

19. Require / Provide incentives for installation of devices that will keep breakages in electrical lines and gas mains from producing fires.   

INCENTIVES

20. Build capacity in National Disaster Organisations (NDOs) through such measures as adequate staffing and sustainment training for NDO personnel and agency liaisons.

21. Clarify roles of NDO and other actors in national emergency management system for different emergencies and in the four phases of the Disaster Response Management cycle (preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation).

CAPACITY BUILDING

AND REMEMBER …..

It is the responsibility of Policy Makers to ensure the periodic updating of models,

zonation maps and national codes (every 5 to 10 years), based on new scientific

knowledge and on the monitored results of their past application.