CODIA: 70% of the building will resist earthquakes

SANTO DOMINGO. In the Dominican Republic 70% of the buildings have the guarantee that they have been built with the required anti-seismic norms, while the remaining 30% do not have the same luck, and because of this they require immediate intervention by the authorities.

These were the terms used by Victor Payano, the president of the Dominican College of Engineers, Architects and Surveyors (CODIA), who pointed out that according to the evaluation that they have on hand, "our buildings represent a guarantee for the eventuality of an earthquake". "The earthquakes are unpredictable, as is their magnitude. So it is good to be clear that in our country we have observed and carried out the construction norms that were put into place in 1979", he said.

According to the engineering professional, the 30% of the earthquake susceptible buildings were not supervised by CODIA professionals, but were put up informally. Among the characteristics that Payano understands a good building should have are good structural calculations and good architectural designs.

These statements by Payana are a contradiction of those offered last 29 January when he assured reporters that the majority of the buildings in the country do not fulfill the design requisites for seismic resistance, especially those that are for public use.

Payano was interviewed at the Presidential Palace where he went to offer his assistance to the government for the reconstruction of Haiti.