TheKnowRISKproject:Tools and strategies for risk communication and learning

Damage of non-structural elements of buildings (i.e. partitions, ceilings, cladding, electrical and mechanical sys- tems and furniture) is known to cause injuries and human losses. Also it has a significant impact on earthquake resilience and is yet being worldwide underestimated. The project KnowRISK (Know your city, Reduce seISmic risK through non-structural elements) is financed by the European Commission to develop prevention measures that may reduce non-structural damage in urban areas. Pilot areas of the project are within the three European participating countries, namely Portugal, Iceland and Italy. They were chosen because they are prone to damage level 2 and 3 (EMS-98, European Macroseismic Scale) that typically affects non-structural elements. We will develop and test a risk communication strategy taking into ac- count the needs of households and schools, putting into practice a portfolio of best practice to reduce the most common non-structural vulnerabilities. Wewilltargetouractionstodifferentsocietalgroups,consideringtheirculturalbackgroundandsocialvulnerabil- ities, and implement a participatory approach that will promote engagement and interaction between the scientific community, practitioners and citizens to foster knowledge on everyone’s own neighborhoods, resilience and vul- nerability. A Practical Guide for citizens will highlight that low-cost actions can be implemented to increase safety of house- holds,meantasbeingtheplaceswherethemostvulnerablesocietalgroups,includingchildrenandelderlypeople, spend much of their time. Since our actions towards communication will include education, we will define tools that allow a clear and direct understanding of elements exposed to risk. Schools will be one of our target societal groups and their central role played at the community level will ensure spreading and strengthening of the communication process. Schools are often located in old or re-adapted build- ings,formerlyusedforotheruses,orwhenthegrowingnumberofstudentsornewneedsrequireadaptingthespace to the necessities, often without taking enough care of safety. Moreover, in urban areas, schools may be hosted in tall buildings where the shaking of moderate-to-low magnitude earthquakes can cause damage level 2 and 3. Students will be involved into looking after their own situation in terms of non-structural vulnerability to promote education and prevention, while increasing resilience in terms of societal capacity to cope with future disasters. The actions will undergo specific effectiveness assessment with ex-ante and ex-post surveys. The results of this assessmentwillallowanevaluationofon-siteriskcommunicationactivities,thecomparabilitybetweenpilot-areas achievements, and an opportunity for learning and guidance for future risk communication.PublishedVienna, Austria3T. Pericolosità sismica e contributo alla definizione del rischioope

Towards a practical guide in nonstructural risk reduction: A tool for the KnowRISK countries

Nonstructural buildings damages are often considered second order priority issues when modelling an earthquake scenario. While this is reasonable in major earthquakes, where structural damages mask nonstructural failures, it is not such when dealing with moderate earthquakes where, often, the nonstructural damages exceeds losses from structural damages. Nonstructural damages may in fact cause a reduction in the performance of the affected building, which becomes critical in facilities of social relevance like hospitals, schools or fire stations. Moreover, the failure of nonstructural building components can become a safety hazard or can hamper the safe movement of occupants evacuating or of rescue workers entering building. Thus, it is critical to raise in the citizens the awareness of potential nonstructural risks, the costly consequences of nonstructural failures, and the opportunities that exist to limit future losses.The action E1 of the Know Risk project aims at compiling a guide on how to reduce risks from non-structural components failure to be both handed as a printed version and made available on the internet.Published2TM. Divulgazione ScientificaN/A or not JC

The KnowRISK project - Know your city, Reduce seISmic risK through non-structural elements

Historically, there is a tendency to focus on seismic structural performance of buildings, neglecting the potential for damage of non-structural elements. In particular, non-structural elements of buildings are their architectural parts (i.e. partitions, ceilings, cladding), electrical and mechanical components (i.e. distribution panels, piping, plumbing),andcontents(e.g.,furniture,bookcases,computersanddesktopequipment).Damageoftheseelements often contributes significantly to earthquake impacts. In the 1999 Izmit Earthquake, Turkey, 50% of the injuries and 3% of human losses were caused by non-structural failures. In the 2010-2011 Christchurch Earthquakes (New Zealand), 40% of building damage was induced by non-structural malfunctions. Around 70%-85% of construction cost goes into these elements, and their damage can strongly influence the ability of communities to copewithandrecoverfromearthquakes.TheprojectKnowyourcity,ReduceseISmicrisKthroughnon-structural elements (KnowRISK) aims at facilitating local communities’ access to expert knowledge on non-structural seismic protection solutions. The project will study seismic scenarios critical for non-structural damage, produce a portfolio of non-structural protection measures and investigate the level of awareness in specific communities. We will implement risk communication strategies that will take into account the social and cultural background and a participatory approach to raise awareness in local communities. The paradox between the progress of scientific knowledge and the ongoing increase of losses from natural disasters worldwide is a well-identified gap in the UN Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015, in which one of the main priorities is the investment on “knowledge use, innovation and education to build a culture of safety and resilience”. The KnowRISK is well aligned with these priorities and will contribute to participatory action aimed at: i) transferring expert knowledge on seismic risk and non-structural protective solutions into practical knowledge and ii) communication tools designed to engage communities in disaster risk reduction.PublishedVienna, Austria1SR. TERREMOTI - Servizi e ricerca per la Societàope