Bam (Iran) San Francisco (United States)

Bam (Iran)
http://www.art-arena.com/land.htm
San Francisco (United States)
BUILDING TYPES AND EARTHQUAKES
Everyone today knows it’s not earthquakes that kill people, but it’s the buildings. Through the
dramatic history of major earthquakes, construction specialists have gained experience and have
improved the effectiveness of standards in paraseismic construction methods.
Prevention remains, for the moment, the best means of limiting human loss caused by earthquakes.
That hope rests on the construction of buildings and roads according to norms which are more in
earthquake resistant: buildings with simple layouts (square, rectangular, circular), with light roofs made
of break-resistant materials (rigid yet supple); Provision of flexible joints between the nearby buildings,
to prevent that while being jostled too strongly they do not collapse.
But these techniques are not always effective, and their high cost only makes them available to
wealthier countries.
Source : Revue Préventique Sécurité n°69
HOPES FADING FOR FURTHER [BAM] IRAN QUAKE SURVIVORS
Ari Vakkilainen of Finn Rescues, a Finnish government international rescue organisation, told AFP at
the airport: “I think there are not many people still alive under the rubble because of the way the
buildings here are made.”
The bricks generally used in building here are of baked mud that turn to dust and sand when buildings
collapse, which means there are not many air pockets.
“Even with a good air pocket, 72 hours is about the absolute maximum that somebody can survive
under the rubble,” Vakkilainen, who is a fire chief in his day job, said. “That leaves us about 20 hours to
find people so I don’t think the chances of finding a good deal of survivors are very good at all.”
Original Source New Age, December 29, 2003
Online at http://www.bcas.net/Env.Features/NaturalHazards/2003/December2003/16%20to%2031.htm
POURQUOI TANT DE VICTIMES?
"Mehdi Masoumi, spokesman for the hunger strikers setup in the church of Minimes in Brussels, points
out that the seism was not as heavy as the number of victims would suggest it. It had a magnitude of
6,6. That of San Francisco in 1989, with a magnitude of 7,1, caused damage worth 10 billion dollars but
claimed only 63 victims. The earthquake of Kobe, in Japan, in 1995 (magnitude of 7,1) claimed 5.500
victims, while that of California in 1995 (magnitude 6,5) only two. Currently, it is possible to build
buildings that resist earthquakes. Why then speak about natural disaster? Responsibility lies with our
global economic system which keeps the major part of humanity in poverty, thus blocking them from
access to necessary technologies. And as it is often the case, Western assistance is done in a
colonialist spirit.”
Extrait de Luc Vancauwenberge
L’ARCHITECTURE À SAN FRANCISCO
« La superposition d’innombrables bâtiments de bois et de stuc grimpant à l’assaut des
collines de San Francisco donne parfois l’impression d’un bric-à-brac bon enfant qui
pourrait dégringoler au moindre coup de vent.
Les bâtiments à ossature de bois assurent une excellente protection des
occupants lors de tremblements de terre. Le peu de dommages graves est
attribuable aux faits que la population est clairsemée dans la zone épicentrale et que la
plupart des bâtiments y sont en rondins ou ont une charpente en bois et ne component
qu'un ou deux étages. Ce type de bâtiments s'est avéré des plus résistants aux
tremblements de terre parce qu'il peut ployer sans subir de dommages.
C’est l’un de leurs avantages, et il est clairement établi qu’en cas de
séisme, une maison à plate-forme de bois est un des endroits
les plus sécuritaires.
Le bois est un matériau de construction qui présente certains avantages par rapport aux
autres matériaux en ce qui a trait à la résistance aux séismes. Il est résistant mais léger, si
bien que les accélérations du sol libèrent beaucoup moins d’énergie dans les charpentes
faiter en bois. Autre avantage, les charpentes faites en bois sont plus flexibles qu’avec les
autres matériaux, ce qui leur permet d’absorber et de dissiper l’énergie. »
Extrait de la Commission géologique du Canada
Solidarity
“The spirit of humanity goes beyond politics, religion, regionalism and shows how we can unite the
world,” Dr. Kamal Kharrazi, the Iranian Foreign Minister. “The Iranian people have witnessed first hand
this sense of unity through the abundance of international assistance provided during the last two
weeks.”
Source: Canadian Red Cross
International Federation and UN launch their appeals for Bam earthquake
By Suzanne Charest in Bam, Iran
http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=007762&tid=032
Photo galleries of Canadian Red Cross relief efforts in Iran
http://www.redcross.ca/gallery.asp?id=007665&tid=001