HR: 14:05h
AN: U22B-02 INVITED     [PDF]
TI: Large Earthquakes in Developing Countries: Estimating and Reducing their Consequences
AU: * Tucker, B E
EM: tucker@geohaz.org
AF: GeoHazards International, 200 Town and Country Village, Palo Alto, CA 94301 United States
AB: Recent efforts to reduce the risk of earthquakes in developing countries have been diverse, earnest, and inadequate. The earthquake risk in developing countries is large and growing rapidly. It is largely ignored. Unless something is done - quickly - to reduce it, both developing and developed countries will suffer human and economic losses far greater than have been experienced in the past. GeoHazards International (GHI) is a nonprofit organization that has attempted to reduce the death and suffering caused by earthquakes in the world's most vulnerable communities, through preparedness, mitigation and prevention. Its approach has included raising awareness, strengthening local institutions and launching mitigation activities, particularly for schools. GHI and its partners around the world have achieved some success: thousands of school children are safer, hundreds of cities are aware of their risk, tens of cities have been assessed and advised, and some local organizations have been strengthened. But there is disturbing evidence that what is being done is insufficient. The problem outpaces the cure. A new program is now being considered that would attempt to improve earthquake-resistant construction of schools, internationally, by publicizing well-managed programs around the world that design, construct and maintain earthquake-resistant schools. While focused on schools, this program might have broader applications in the future.
DE: 6324 Legislation and regulations
DE: 6615 Legislation and regulation
DE: 7223 Seismic hazard assessment and prediction
DE: 7299 General or miscellaneous
SC: U
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting