Professional and Career Topics

 View Only

  • 1.  Disaster Lessons Learned

    Posted 5 days ago

    Last weeks tragic earthquake in Venezuela brought back memories of the 2024 earthquake in Turkey.

    Is there a central repository of synthesized Iessons learned from these major catastrophes and if not should there be one?

    t's unlikely that the lessons learned from the Turkey earthquake could have mitigated the damage from the Venezuela earthquake, but it should not for lack of trying. 



    ------------------------------
    Mitch Winkler P.E.(inactive), M.ASCE
    Houston, TX
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Disaster Lessons Learned

    Posted 2 days ago

    Hi Mitch,

    I'm not familiar with the extent to which the FED collects experience from outside the U.S. But certainly the international community of earthquake engineering is analyzing the disasters and publishes regularly the learnings. Cf. https://wcee.nicee.org/wcee/index.php?__cf_chl_f_tk=g9efFofaOX4X7a..YxjYjyaYCn44_oDRSXYG6k2ZIC8-1782937636-1.0.1.1-vkhQHJAQimzXco.HcuizGWTNwsZqhJPe9c5utGYMZuI

    Part of the problem is the microzonation of resonating weak strata in the ground amplifying the seismic motion in the low-frequency range to which high rise buildings are susceptible (as discussed in the Mexico City EQ 1985: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_Mexico_City_earthquake). Venezuela had now a similar problem. From what I heard the CoP on aseismic design in Venezuela is quite modern, but it is always a question of the integrity and the degree of enforcement by government authorities (not just on plans but in practical site supervision). 

    I guess that were are going to have some discussions at the forthcoming IABSE Symposium in Guwahati/India (April 2027), focussing on all sorts of collapses: https://www.iabse.org/Guwahati2027/event. Our abstract review is going to start soon.



    ------------------------------
    J.-Martin Hohberg
    Dr.sc.techn, M.ASCE FED
    Sr. Consultant, IABSE e-Learning Board
    Bremgarten / Berne, Switzerland
    ------------------------------



  • 3.  RE: Disaster Lessons Learned

    Posted 3 hours ago

    I was hoping to take this conversation in a more general direction but to your point I found this very insightful article in the New York Times. I pasted the link as a gift article. 

    https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/07/03/world/americas/venezuela-earthquakes-epicenter-maps.html?unlocked_article_code=1.vFA.J6dn.uT3lsgOYrWdP&smid=nytcore-ios-share

    I hope the ASCE team will pick up on this.

    I also hope you and others will consider my original post, too. 



    ------------------------------
    Mitch Winkler P.E.(inactive), M.ASCE
    Houston, TX
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


Related Content