Search results

The purpose of this paper is to examine how experiencing moderate earthquakes influences risk perception and preparedness.

An online survey was conducted on a nationally representative sample of Korean adults after the moderate earthquake in Pohang in 2017. Statistical analyses were conducted to identify the determinants of willingness to pay (WTP) for seismic retrofitting and earthquake insurance.

The results show that risk perception, housing ownership, earthquake experience and income level significantly influenced WTP for seismic retrofitting and earthquake insurance. The results also indicate that a greater number of damage-free earthquake experiences reduced the WTP that could be explained by normalcy bias. Finally, people who believed that the Pohang earthquake might be an example of induced seismicity (i.e. triggered by the geothermal power plant) tended to have a lower WTP for seismic retrofitting.

This study offers valuable findings on public attitudes about enhancing earthquake preparedness policies in moderate earthquake zones, regions that few studies have examined despite their high vulnerability due to a lack of preparedness.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the impacts of earthquakes on schools and education services and demonstrate the critical role that information and communication technologies (ICTs) can play in supporting the continuity of education delivery during temporary school closures after seismic events.

This paper relies on a conceptual analysis that shows the potential role of the online educational environment during post-earthquake school closures by relying on the available ICT tools.

This paper proposes a pro-active strategy for schools that transforms traditional education into an online learning environment to restore education delivery during school closures after earthquake which disrupts face-to-face teaching and denies students and staffs access to schools.

The sustainability of education delivery in the aftermath of earthquakes presents a challenge to governments, schools, people and communities. This paper contributes to the literature by demonstrating the role of online learning in sustaining educational delivery services after moderate earthquakes.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate increase in the cost of reinforced concrete buildings in Kathmandu valley constructed using earthquake safer features in comparison with that of buildings constructed using conventional approach without earthquake safety features.

Five buildings constructed using earthquake safer features and five buildings constructed without using these features are selected. A cost comparison of both types of buildings is done, and the total cost is also compared for structural, nonstructural and service components in the buildings.

The cost analysis of buildings constructed in Kathmandu valley shows that there is 10 per cent increase in cost for earthquake safer construction in comparison to construction using conventional approach. This increase in cost can be a deterrent factor for house owners to switch to safer construction practices which ultimately leads to lack of compliance from house owners. A successful implementation of building code in a country like Nepal, where most of the buildings are constructed from informal sector, requires compliance of the code from all stakeholders. Awareness raising can be a deciding factor for success in building code enforcement.

The study is done for only two types of constructions prevalent in Kathmandu: one using simplified codal method and another using conventional method. Only five samples of each types are taken into consideration. The building sample, however, is typical and representative of the two types of the construction practice.

The information from this study will be useful for making policy decisions for enforcement of building codes and also for assessment of economic loss in future earthquakes.

This research output will help to redesign building code enforcement projects in Nepal and other countries in the region with similar issues.

The building samples, analysis and output are original contribution of authors, and it contributes to fulfill the gap for such study.

The purpose of the study is to investigate and reveal this relationship of various engineering demand parameters (EDPs) of this structural type and intensity measures (IMs) under intra-plate earthquakes.

The nonlinear finite element model used was calibrated first to the existing results of the shaking table test to verify the modeling technique.

This paper investigated the relationship between intensity measures and various engineering demand parameters of cable-stayed bridges using intra-plate earthquakes. The correlation analysis and Pearson coefficient are used to study the correlation between EDPs and IMs. The results showed that peak ground velocity (PGV)/peak ground acceleration, peak ground displacement and root-mean-square of displacement showed weak correlation with IMs. PGV, sustained maximum velocity, a peak value of spectral velocity, A95 parameter, Housner intensity and spectral acceleration at the fundamental period, the spectral velocity at the fundamental period and spectral displacement at the fundamental period were determined to be better predictors for various EDPs.

This paper investigated the correlation between the intensity measures of intra-plate earthquakes with the seismic responses of a typical long-span cable-stayed bridge in China. The nonlinear finite element model used was calibrated to the existing results of the shaking table test to verify the modeling technique. In total, 104 selected ground motions were applied to the calibrated model, and the responses of various components of the bridge were obtained. This study proposed PGV as the optimal IM.

Seismic vulnerability evaluation of various public structures, especially school buildings, is very crucial for designing hazard mitigation initiatives in seismic prone areas. The city of Mymensingh is at great risk of earthquake because of its geographical location, geological structure and proximity to active faults. The city is famous for its ancient and renowned educational institutes that need to be evaluated for understanding the seismic performance of the building during an earthquake. This study aims to evaluate the seismic vulnerability of educational buildings of Mymensingh city using rapid visual screening (RVS) and index based approach.

RVS procedure includes field survey and secondary source assessment for evaluating structural vulnerability attributes. Analytical hierarchy process is applied to develop an index focusing on systematic attributes of vulnerability based on expert opinions. Then, a composite vulnerability map is developed combining both structural and systematic vulnerability score providing an equal weight.

This study evaluates the seismic vulnerability of 458 educational buildings of Mymensingh city and the result shows that 23.14% educational building has high, 46.29% has moderate and 26.86% has moderately low and only 3.71% buildings has the low seismic vulnerability. This study expected to be helpful in resource targeting and prioritizing seismic hazard mitigation activities for education buildings of Mymensingh city.

This study endeavors to present a comprehensive vulnerability assessment method by integrating RVS and index based approach that incorporates both structural and systematic dimensions of vulnerability. The result is expected to be helpful in the formulation of disaster prevention policy for vulnerable educational buildings and development of the earthquake-resistant building codes for the new building construction in Mymensingh city.

Investigates the effects of earthquakes in the Victoria region of Australia. Looks at how they can be predicted by the use of seismology, and how this information can be used to protect buildings from major damage. Examines a system developed by the Seismology Research Centre, Bundoora, Australia, to provide alarm, damage scenario and response information after moderate or large earthquakes.

With the marked increase in the awareness of earthquake risks following the Canterbury earthquakes, the purpose of this paper is to assess if the reassessment of risk has influenced rents for office accommodation in commercial buildings. Two contrasting office markets are examined: New Zealand’s largest market within a high-risk earthquake zone – Wellington, and the country’s largest market within a low-risk zone – Auckland.

A sample of 252 leasing transactions were collected from a proprietary database of Colliers International, one of the largest commercial brokerage firms in New Zealand. Hedonic pricing models were developed to isolate the effects of building seismic strength on office rents.

Wellington office market rents tend to increase with higher earthquake strength (New Building Standard) ratings, all other factors held equal. In contrast, rents in Auckland, a low-risk earthquake area, do not exhibit such price effects.

The study provides estimates of the economic value associated with seismic retrofits which are vital for building owners’ decision making who must weigh retrofit costs against the economic benefits of doing so.

This study provides the first empirical analysis of office rents in New Zealand and the first quantitative analysis, internationally, of the impact of earthquake risk on commercial rents.