Seismic damage and disaster management maps (a case study)

There are many cities in developing countries that are built with minimal seismic considerations. Also, due to the expenses involved regarding detailed and analytical identification of such vulnerable buildings and structures in these cities, is very difficult and also time consuming. It is necessary and much needed to have a quick and inexpensive solution for such assessment in cities with the above mentioned criterion, for disaster management planning. Therefore this paper offers a study of a simplified evaluation form which was developed in order to assess the key seismic vulnerability parameters of buildings and structures in the city of Gachsaran located along the Zagrous mountain range in Iran. Based on the gathered information, a data bank was created and using the generalized physical vulnerability functions which was developed for typical Iranian buildings, a series of scenario based damage maps for the city was created. Using these maps and available resources, a series of disaster management planning maps were created for different levels of potential hazard. These simplified procedures are used for underdeveloped cities such as Gachsaran to establish preliminary needs for planners, while more sophisticated methods can be utilized. The method used in this paper will be discussed and results obtained will be presented. It also is believed that, this simple solution can be utilized in similar cases throughout the world.