Earthqakes are dynamic laboratories for learning and catalysts for building capacity for disaster-intelligent & disaster-resilient communities. The vulnerabilities of apartment buildings, schools, and hospitals constructed during the end of the Brezhnev era were exposed by the strong ground shaking of the magnitude 6.8 earthquake. PowerPoint presentation courtesy of Dr. Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction

1. Dr. Eric Noji overlooking the devastation in
Spitak in December 1988

2. LESSONS FROM PAST
NOTABLE EARTHQUAKES
PART VIII

3. PAST NOTABLE
EARTHQUAKES
SPITAK, ARMENIA
DECEMBER 7, 1988

4. EARTHQAKES ARE DYNAMIC
LABORATORIES FOR
LEARNING AND CATALYSTS
FOR BUILDING CAPACITY
FOR DISASTER-INTELLIGENT
& DISASTER-RESILIENT
COMMUNITES

5. OCCURRENCE

6. SPITAK EARTHQUAKE
 SPITAK WAS IN THE
 M6.8 “BULLS” EYE”
 APT. BLDGS.,
 11:41 AM LOCAL
TIME HOSPITALS AND
SCHOOLS
 “BLIND” THRUST COLLAPSED
FAULT
 INT’L SEARCH AND
 INTENSITY X (MSK RESCUE OF
SCALE) TRAPPED VICTIMS

7. SPITAK EARTHQUAKE:
COMPLEX TECTONICS

8. ARMENIA: LOCATED IN THE
LESSER CAUCASUS MTNS

9. THE CAUSATIVE BLIND THRUST
FAULT (USSR ACAD. OF SCI.)

10. CAUSES OF DAMAGE
CAUSES OF DAMAGE
INADEQUATE RESISTANCE TO
HORIZONTAL GROUND SHAKING
SOIL AMPLIFICATION
PERMANENT DISPLACEMENT
(SURFACE FAULTING &
GROUND FAILURE)
IRREGULARITIES IN ELEVATION AND
EARTHQUAKES PLAN
EARTHQUAKES
FIRE FOLLOWING RUPTURE OF
“DISASTER LABORATORIES”
“DISASTER LABORATORIES” UTILITIES
LACK OF DETAILING AND
CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS
INATTENTION TO NON-
STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS

11. IMPACTS
BUILDINGS

12. LESSONS LEARNED FOR
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 ALL NOTABLE
EARTHQUAKES
 PREPAREDNESS
PLANNING FOR
THE INEVITABLE
GROUND
SHAKING IS
ESSENTIAL FOR
COMMUNITY
RESILIENCE.

13. LESSONS LEARNED FOR
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 ALL NOTABLE
EARTHQUAKES
 PROTECTION OF
BUILDINGS AND
INFRASTRUCTURE
IS ESSENTIAL
FOR COMMUNITY
RESILIENCE.

14. SPITAK EARTHQUAKE
 SCHOOLS AND  LOSS OF
HOSPITALS ESSENTIAL
PERFORMED FUNCTIONS
POORLY  MEDICAL SERVICES
WERE UN-
AVAILABLE IN THE
HOUR OF
GREATEST NEED.

15. COLLAPSED SCHOOL: A
PROTECTION NIGHTMARE
 ALL OF THE CHILDREN WERE KILLED
WHEN SOME SCHOOLS COLLAPSED ---
 JUST MINUTES BEFORE THEY WOULD
HAVE BEEN DISMISSED AND OUTSIDE
THE SCHOOL ON THE WAY HOME FOR
LUNCH.

16. THE VULNERABILITIES OF
APARTMENT BUILDINGS, SCHOOLS,
AND HOSPITALS CONSTRUCTED
DURING THE END OF THE
BRESHNEV ERA WERE EXPOSED BY
THE STRONG GROUND SHAKING OF
THE M6.8 EARTHQUAKE

17. SPITAK EARTHQUAKE: UN-
REINFORCED MASONRY

18. SPITAK EARTHQUAKE: UN-
REINFORCED MASONRY

19. SPITAK EARTHQUAKE:
CONCRETE FRAME BUILDINGS

20. SPITAK EARTHQUAKE: NEW
BUILDINGS PERFORMED POORLY

21. UN-ANCHORED FLOOR PLANKS
CAUSED COLLAPSES

22. One hundred and thirty-two
nine-story precast-concrete-
frame buildings collapsed
or were heavily damaged in
Leninakan.

23. LENINAKAN: SOIL AMPLIFICATION
EXACERBATED DAMAGE POTENTIAL

24. LENINAKAN DAMAGE
 Leninakan's location along the eastern
banks of the Akhurian River also
contributed significantly to the damage ,
because most buildings in the area were
built on shallow foundations sited on
thick sections of clay, sand, soil, and
tuffs which amplified the ground motion
and increased the duration of shaking.

25. SPITAK EARTHQUAKE: CULTURAL
HERITAGE DESTROYED

26. LESSONS LEARNED FOR
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 ALL NOTABLE
EARTHQUAKES
 PREPAREDNESS
PLANNING FOR
THE INEVITABLE
GROUND FAILURE
IS ESSENTIAL
FOR COMMUNITY
RESILIENCE.

27. LANDSLIDES
 Hundreds to thousands of
landslides were triggered west of
Alivar by the earthquake, but their
impacts were minor.

28. LESSONS LEARNED FOR
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 ALL NOTABLE
EARTHQUAKES
 CAPACITY FOR
EMERGENCY
RESPONSE IS
ESSENTIAL FOR
COMMUNITY
RESILIENCE.

29. SPITAK EARTHQUAKE
 PRESIDENT  SOME 70
GORBACHAV WAS COUNTRIES SENT
THE GUEST OF PEOPLE AND
PRESIDENT SUPPLIES
REAGAN AND  USA SENT MEDICAL
PRESIDENT-ELECT AND TECHNICAL
BUSH IN NEW SPECIALISTS
YORK AT TIME OF IMMEDIATELY
QUAKE

30. A HISTORICAL NOTE OF
INTEREST
Russian military planes landed
at USA’s Andrew’s Air Force
base to collect the U.S. teams
for urgent travel to Armenia

31. DEBRIS AND TRAFFIC
HINDERED EM RESPONSE

32. SPITAK EARTHQUAKE: SEARCH
AND RESCUE

33. LESSONS LEARNED FOR
DISASTER RESILIENCE
 ALL NOTABLE
EARTHQUAKES
 CAPACITY FOR
RECOVERY AND
RECONSTRUCTION
IS ESSENTIAL FOR
COMMUNITY
RESILIENCE.

34. SPITAK EARTHQUAKE
 PRESIDENT  USA AND 70
REAGAN AND COUNTRIES SENT
PRESIDENT-ELECT PEOPLE AND
BUSH PROMISED SUPPLIES
PRESIDENT  UNESCO HELPED
GORBACHAV PLAN RECOVERY
IMMEDIATE  RECONSTRUCTION
ASSISTANCE COSTS OF ABOUT
$16 BILLION

35.  At least 25,000 dead; several
thousand injured.
 More than 21,000 residences
were destroyed and 700,000
people in northern Armenia were
affected by this event.

36. IMPACTS: SPITAK EARTHQUAKE
 AT LEAST 25,000
 NEW CONCRETE KILLED
FRAME BUILDINGS  IF THE QUAKE HAD
PERFORMED OCCURRED 5
POORLY MINUTES LATER,
 SCHOOLS CHILDREN WOULD
PERFORMED HAVE BEEN
POORLY OUTSIDE THE
COLLAPSED
SCHOOLS

37. WHAT HAS HAPPENED
 “BLIND THRUST  EARTHQUAKE
FAULT ZONES” TO BE ENGINEERING
AVOIDED EMERGED AS A HIGH
 SEISMIC DESIGN PRIORITY
PROVISIONS WERE  THE AMERICAN
UPGRADED UNIVERSITY OF
 THE “NEW” SPITAK IS ARMENIA WAS
A 4-STORY CITY WITH ESTABLISNED TO
MORE ATTENTION TO BUILD TECHNICAL
DESIGN DETAIL CAPACITY FOR THE
FUTURE