Abstract

LOPEZ, Oscar A. Guidelines for a seismic risk reduction program in Venezuela. Rev. Fac. Ing. UCV [online]. 2013, vol.28, n.3, pp.29-46. ISSN 0798-4065.

Damage in constructions observed in various earthquakes corresponds to structures that had been designed with earthquake resistant standards which however proved to be insufficient to provide the required safety. One of the largest sources of vulnerability in Venezuela are buildings built several decades ago with design criteria considerably less demanding than those referred to in modern seismic standards. Guidelines are proposed in this paper for a practical program of earthquake risk reduction, for existing buildings and for new constructions that effectively protect the population and infrastructure of the country. New regulations are needed to ensure strict compliance with the standards in the new buildings. Given the magnitude of the problem of the high vulnerability of older existing buildings, the effort must prioritize the study and reinforcement of the infrastructure required during emergencies, such as hospitals, fire protection and school buildings. In other constructions the effort should be guided to define municipal regulations in order to propose incentives to organized communities to evaluate and strengthen the oldest buildings. In the field of non-engineering popular constructions, training manuals for new houses and for the seismic strengthening of existing ones are required. The success of these actions could only be guaranteed with the use of mass media that effectively generates and deploy a seismic culture.

Keywords : Earthquakes; Prevention; Strengthening; Vulnerability; Seismic risk.

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