Earthquake showed weakness of public buildings
A team of technicians from ONESVIE began yesterday an evaluation of damages
Diario Libre
SANTO DOMINGO. Public buildings once more become the constructions most affected by the 5.1 on the Richter scale earthquake which was registered in the country last Monday. The epicenter was located in the Cibao.
Some experts that were consulted attribute these damages to defects in the construction or to errors in the architectural designs of these buildings.
Among the buildings that were affected were the Justice of the Peace in Villa Gonzalez, the Fernando Valerio School and the Municipal Office Building which suffered cracks in different parts. The public buildings are the first option for shelter in case of disasters.
Upon being consulted regarding the damages, the president of the Dominican Society of Seismic Engineering (Sodosismica), Engineer Leonardo Reyes Madera, said he felt that the earthquakes which occurred yesterday (Monday) serve as a warning to the authorities so that they put more effort in reviewing and reinforcing the seismic resistance of the schools, hospitals and government buildings.
"If we bother to look at things, this was a very small earthquake, nevertheless there was damage and injured, and you ask why? This means that this was an alert, a wake-up call so that we put our sights on our buildings, "he said.
Reyes Madera explained that the recent tremors are part of the normal seismic activity in the region, with the Mona Channel being the zone where most occur, but at such depths that they are barely perceived.
For example, at 4:01 a.m. yesterday there was an earthquake of 3.4 on the Richter scale some 119 kilometers northeast of the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico, at a depth of 98 kilometers.
In November of last year, Sodosismica has already suggested the inspection of the principle government buildings, including the Presidential Palace, the hospital of the Armed Forces, the Central Bank and others, in order to adapt them to the demands of the new seismic building code now in force and to support an earthquake of 7.5 or 8 on the Richter scale.
Other damages
At least four persons were injured and several buildings were cracked because of the earthquake on Monday which caused panic among the population, mostly in Duarte province.
The Center for Emergency Operations (COE) reported during the afternoon that during an inspection they saw minor damages in educational, health and private buildings in the municipalities of Pimentel, San Francisco de Macoris and Arenoso.
Buildings assessed
A team of technicians from the National Office for Seismic Assessment and Infrastructure and Building Vulnerability (ONESVIE) headed by the director general Engineer Freddy Santana Martinez, travelled yesterday to San Francisco de Macoris, Cotui, Pimentel, Las Guaranas, Arenoso and Santiago de los Caballeros to carry out visual and structural inspections in the building affected by Monday's earthquake.
The specialists look to obtain an assessment of the degree of the damages and issue the recommendations needed in each one of the cases.
These inspections will determine whether the buildings affected by the seismic movement can be habituated or if they need to undergo structural reinforcement.
In case the visual and structural inspections determine a greater degree of damage, the technicians of ONESVIE will label the properties with the corresponding preventive colors. If the structural damages are slight and do not represent danger for the occupants of the building, they are labeled with a green plaque, and if they are seen to have considerable structure damage they are given a yellow plaque.
In the case of the buildings presenting profound and irreversible structural damage, they are labeled with a red plaque.
The Green Plaque indicates that the building can be lived in; the yellow that it can be lived in with a certain degree of caution and the red on indicates that the building cannot be liven in by its owners.
Some experts that were consulted attribute these damages to defects in the construction or to errors in the architectural designs of these buildings.
Among the buildings that were affected were the Justice of the Peace in Villa Gonzalez, the Fernando Valerio School and the Municipal Office Building which suffered cracks in different parts. The public buildings are the first option for shelter in case of disasters.
Upon being consulted regarding the damages, the president of the Dominican Society of Seismic Engineering (Sodosismica), Engineer Leonardo Reyes Madera, said he felt that the earthquakes which occurred yesterday (Monday) serve as a warning to the authorities so that they put more effort in reviewing and reinforcing the seismic resistance of the schools, hospitals and government buildings.
"If we bother to look at things, this was a very small earthquake, nevertheless there was damage and injured, and you ask why? This means that this was an alert, a wake-up call so that we put our sights on our buildings, "he said.
Reyes Madera explained that the recent tremors are part of the normal seismic activity in the region, with the Mona Channel being the zone where most occur, but at such depths that they are barely perceived.
For example, at 4:01 a.m. yesterday there was an earthquake of 3.4 on the Richter scale some 119 kilometers northeast of the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico, at a depth of 98 kilometers.
In November of last year, Sodosismica has already suggested the inspection of the principle government buildings, including the Presidential Palace, the hospital of the Armed Forces, the Central Bank and others, in order to adapt them to the demands of the new seismic building code now in force and to support an earthquake of 7.5 or 8 on the Richter scale.
Other damages
At least four persons were injured and several buildings were cracked because of the earthquake on Monday which caused panic among the population, mostly in Duarte province.
The Center for Emergency Operations (COE) reported during the afternoon that during an inspection they saw minor damages in educational, health and private buildings in the municipalities of Pimentel, San Francisco de Macoris and Arenoso.
Buildings assessed
A team of technicians from the National Office for Seismic Assessment and Infrastructure and Building Vulnerability (ONESVIE) headed by the director general Engineer Freddy Santana Martinez, travelled yesterday to San Francisco de Macoris, Cotui, Pimentel, Las Guaranas, Arenoso and Santiago de los Caballeros to carry out visual and structural inspections in the building affected by Monday's earthquake.
The specialists look to obtain an assessment of the degree of the damages and issue the recommendations needed in each one of the cases.
These inspections will determine whether the buildings affected by the seismic movement can be habituated or if they need to undergo structural reinforcement.
In case the visual and structural inspections determine a greater degree of damage, the technicians of ONESVIE will label the properties with the corresponding preventive colors. If the structural damages are slight and do not represent danger for the occupants of the building, they are labeled with a green plaque, and if they are seen to have considerable structure damage they are given a yellow plaque.
In the case of the buildings presenting profound and irreversible structural damage, they are labeled with a red plaque.
The Green Plaque indicates that the building can be lived in; the yellow that it can be lived in with a certain degree of caution and the red on indicates that the building cannot be liven in by its owners.
Diario Libre
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