Dissemination of information on hazards and risks: the Icelandic experience

This paper deals with on-going activities related to the Task Group H activities on "Disaster prevention strategies based on an education information system", carried out within the project framework of UPStrat-MAFA "Urban prevention strategies using macro-seismic and fault sources". The emphasis is on the Icelandic experience and related work. Civil Defence/Civil Protection in Iceland has distributed information to the public about disasters since the seventies, first about nuclear war and later about natural disasters. For the last decade the Earthquake Engineering Research Centre of the University of Iceland has used these materials, along with their own material and technical capacity, to educate school children, aged 10 to 12, and provided information for local exhibitions. This article presents an overview of these efforts and the factors guiding the development of information packages to the public, school staff and children, along with a discussion of the challenges and success of these efforts

Calibration of input parameters in volcanic areas and an enlarged dataset by stochastic finite-fault simulations

The calibration of input parameters is an important task for stochastic finite-fault simulation in volcanic areas, and we manage this in the framework of the European project UPStrat-MaFa. The stochastic simulation method requires the knowledge of fault geometry, source, crust properties of the region, and local site effects. At first, we focused the present study in the pilot test areas: Mt Vesuvius, Campi Flegrei and Mt Etna. Later, we performed two applications for a large magnitude event in the Azores Islands and the South Iceland regions. A general preliminary database of ground-motion records was collected in the test areas, to set up the empirical laws of the ground-motion parameters. The results of the simulations have been compared with observed waveforms and response spectra, to determine the suitability of the parameters used. The results show good agreement between the observed and simulated time histories and response spectra, thus encouraging further efforts towards quantitative high resolution studies on input parameters.Co-financed by the EU - Civil Protection Financial Instrument, in the framework the European project ”Urban disaster Prevention Strategies using MAcroseismic Fields and FAult Sources (Acronym: UPStrat-MAFA, Grant Agreement N. 23031/2011/613486/SUB/A5). http://ec.europa.eu/echo/funding/cp_projects2011_en.htmPublishedLisbon - Portugal4.1. Metodologie sismologiche per l'ingegneria sismicaope

Calibration of input parameters in volcanic areas and an enlarged dataset by stochastic finite-fault simulations

The calibration of input parameters is an important task for stochastic finite-fault simulation in volcanic areas, and we manage this in the framework of the European project UPStrat-MaFa. The stochastic simulation method requires the knowledge of fault geometry, source, crust properties of the region, and local site effects. At first, we focused the present study in the pilot test areas: Mt Vesuvius, Campi Flegrei and Mt Etna. Later, we performed two applications for a large magnitude event in the Azores Islands and the South Iceland regions. A general preliminary database of ground-motion records was collected in the test areas, to set up the empirical laws of the ground-motion parameters. The results of the simulations have been compared with observed waveforms and response spectra, to determine the suitability of the parameters used. The results show good agreement between the observed and simulated time histories and response spectra, thus encouraging further efforts towards quantitative high resolution studies on input parameters

Quantitative seismic risk evaluation and mapping: cases of schools and residential facilities in Lisbon and Algarve

This contribution deals with activities within the framework of an EC-project, entitled "UPStrat-MAFA (Urban prevention strategies using macroseismic and fault sources)", emphasising the inventory, vulnerability and seismic risk of buildings. The cases considered deal with elementary and non-elementary public schools as well as the residential building stock in Lisbon and Algarve in mainland Portugal. A new concept of global disruption measures is introduced and discussed, with the objective of providing a systematic way to quantify earthquake impact in urban areas. This approach provides civil protection, the authorities and local decision makers with a new tool judged to be valuable in prioritizing mitigation measures and responses.Co-financed by the EU - Civil Protection Financial Instrument, in the framework the European project ”Urban disaster Prevention Strategies using MAcroseismic Fields and FAult Sources (Acronym: UPStrat-MAFA, Grant Agreement N. 23031/2011/613486/SUB/A5). http://ec.europa.eu/echo/funding/cp_projects2011_en.htmPublishedLisbon - Portugal4.1. Metodologie sismologiche per l'ingegneria sismicaope

Quantitative seismic risk evaluation and mapping: cases of schools and residential facilities in Lisbon and Algarve

This contribution deals with activities within the framework of an EC-project, entitled "UPStrat-MAFA (Urban prevention strategies using macroseismic and fault sources)", emphasising the inventory, vulnerability and seismic risk of buildings. The cases considered deal with elementary and non-elementary public schools as well as the residential building stock in Lisbon and Algarve in mainland Portugal. A new concept of global disruption measures is introduced and discussed, with the objective of providing a systematic way to quantify earthquake impact in urban areas. This approach provides civil protection, the authorities and local decision makers with a new tool judged to be valuable in prioritizing mitigation measures and responses

Disaster prevention strategies, based on an education information system

Earthquake damage includes non-structural failure, failure of utility systems and, infrastructure, loss of function and other non-structural damage. Occupants, building owners, insurance companies, building inspectors and others, through their use of the buildings, systems and content, can affect the risk of such negative events. Thus, a prerequisite for more effective disaster risk reduction is increased risk awareness amongst people and in the community and state development planning process, the educational curriculum, and media. As knowledge is clearly connected with understanding risks, the perception of natural hazards and risks in the local environment should be developed with the help of education. This paper presents a comparative study of the current educational curriculum on natural hazards within the school systems in four European countries: Italy, Portugal, Spain and Iceland. None of the countries provides courses dedicated to this topic but include it within other subjects, most often in the natural sciences

Urban Disaster-Prevention Strategies Using Macroseismic Fields and Fault Sources

This contribution presents the general framework of the European project UPStrat-MAFA "Urban disaster Prevention Strategies using MAcroseismic Fields and FAult Sources" and its ongoing activities. A unique probabilistic procedure is being used for seismic hazard evaluation, using both macroseismic fields and characteristics of fault sources for the analysis of data from volcanic and tectonic areas: Mt. Etna, Mt. Vesuvius and Campi Flegrei (Italy), Azores Islands (Portugal), South Iceland (Iceland), Alicante-Murcia (Spain), and mainland and offshore Portugal. An improvement of urban scale vulnerability information on building and network systems (typologies, schools, strategic buildings, lifelines, and others) is proposed in the form of a global Disruption Index, with the objective to provide a systematic way of measuring earthquake impact in urbanized areas considered as complex networks. Disaster prevention strategies are considered based on an education information system, another effective component of the disaster risk reduction given by long-term activities

Urban Disaster-Prevention Strategies Using Macroseismic Fields and Fault Sources

This contribution presents the general framework of the European project UPStrat-MAFA "Urban disaster Prevention Strategies using MAcroseismic Fields and FAult Sources" and its ongoing activities. A unique probabilistic procedure is being used for seismic hazard evaluation, using both macroseismic fields and characteristics of fault sources for the analysis of data from volcanic and tectonic areas: Mt. Etna, Mt. Vesuvius and Campi Flegrei (Italy), Azores Islands (Portugal), South Iceland (Iceland), Alicante-Murcia (Spain), and mainland and offshore Portugal. An improvement of urban scale vulnerability information on building and network systems (typologies, schools, strategic buildings, lifelines, and others) is proposed in the form of a global Disruption Index, with the objective to provide a systematic way of measuring earthquake impact in urbanized areas considered as complex networks. Disaster prevention strategies are considered based on an education information system, another effective component of the disaster risk reduction given by long-term activities.Co-financed by the EU - Civil Protection Financial Instrument, in the framework the European project ”Urban disaster Prevention Strategies using MAcroseismic Fields and FAult Sources (Acronym: UPStrat-MAFA, Grant Agreement N. 23031/2011/613486/SUB/A5). http://ec.europa.eu/echo/funding/cp_projects2011_en.htmPublishedLisbon - Portugal4.1. Metodologie sismologiche per l'ingegneria sismicaope

Dissemination of information on hazards and risks: the Icelandic experience

This paper deals with on-going activities related to the Task Group H activities on "Disaster prevention strategies based on an education information system", carried out within the project framework of UPStrat-MAFA "Urban prevention strategies using macro-seismic and fault sources". The emphasis is on the Icelandic experience and related work. Civil Defence/Civil Protection in Iceland has distributed information to the public about disasters since the seventies, first about nuclear war and later about natural disasters. For the last decade the Earthquake Engineering Research Centre of the University of Iceland has used these materials, along with their own material and technical capacity, to educate school children, aged 10 to 12, and provided information for local exhibitions. This article presents an overview of these efforts and the factors guiding the development of information packages to the public, school staff and children, along with a discussion of the challenges and success of these efforts.Co-financed by the EU - Civil Protection Financial Instrument, in the framework the European project ”Urban disaster Prevention Strategies using MAcroseismic Fields and FAult Sources (Acronym: UPStrat-MAFA, Grant Agreement N. 23031/2011/613486/SUB/A5). http://ec.europa.eu/echo/funding/cp_projects2011_en.htmPublishedLisbon - Portugal5.9. Formazione e informazioneope