1200 schools vulnerable to earthquakes

The Director-General of the National Office of Seismic Assessment and Vulnerability of Infrastructure and Buildings (Onesvie) warned yesterday that about 1,200 schools in the country have been built near seismic fault lines and do not have the site conditions to remain intact in Santo Domingo. The face of strong earthquakes.

Leonardo de Jesus Reyes Madeira explained that these educational centers are located approximately five kilometers above or below these faults.

He specified that the earthquake centered in Puerto Plata, which occurred on September 22, 2003, should have served as a lesson for the Ministries of Education (MINIRD) and Public Works at the time of the construction of public schools in these vulnerable areas.

He emphasized that among these schools 290 are large and fragile schools due to the type of design that corresponds to the design of educational centers that collapsed 19 years ago with that earthquake, as well as 25 other schools that were evaluated more specializedly.

In addition, he noted that of the 15 new schools built, at least ten are above seismic faults.

“At that time, in 2011, Minerd got a change streak and nothing was done,” Reyes Madeira noted.

Faced with this scenario, Principal Onesvie suggested implementing a pilot plan to reinforce old and new schools and build flexible educational facilities that would ensure any circumstance based on good structural formation.

Regarding investing in this plan, he stated that it will be subject to the conditions of these schools, explaining that in some cases it will be necessary to demolish some schools because they will not be safe or sufficient to renovate them.

Nearly 19 years after the 6.5-magnitude earthquake in Puerto Plata stunned Cibao residents and just 45 seconds were enough to cause many schools to collapse, there is still concern among seismic engineering experts about non-compliance with structural regulations in the Dominican Republic.

neglect

Reyes Madeira reported that educational centers were built after the earthquake of September 22, 2003. However, the new facilities and repairs did not have sufficient specifications to protect the buildings and students over time.

“They made it like the ones that fell (the schools); even when we went to assess the new ones, they were already in poor conditions,” the seismologist said during a visit to Listin Diario.

The engineer commented that eight years after this earthquake, the Regulation for Seismic Analysis and Design of Structures (R-001) was published, which led to the strict and strict application of avoiding earthquake-prone buildings.

Once this new system was implemented, eight thousand schools were built to seismic specifications, but procedures became more flexible over time.

“A column was added to all the new schools. Therefore, the regulation was applied conceptually, but at the construction level, they again committed the same inefficiencies causing them to have old weaknesses,” emphasized the seismic vulnerability expert.

While Minerd’s Director of Environmental Management, Diego Bautista, who was also present on the visit, emphasized that this institution had made assessments, but not as rigorously as that involved in specialized accompaniment.

Universities

Four private universities have also been commissioned to design different models of schools so that they can be submitted to the President of the Republic, Luis Abenader, as well as to the Minister of Education, Angel Hernandez, once their research and improvements are completed.

The participating universities are the Pontifical Catholic Mother and Teacher University (PUCMM), the Institute of Technology of Santo Domingo (INTEC), the National University of Pedro Henriques Urena (UNPHU) and the Ibero-American University (UNIBE). However, only the latter made his proposal.

A seminar

Onesvie will hold a symposium on September 22-23, 2022, on “Schools Resilient to Seismic Events” to address challenges in a national context.

The meeting will take place in the Rafael Solano Lecture Hall of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD), San Felipe Campus.

According to the information, the purpose of the meeting will be to share experiences, insights and institutional strategies of Latin American and Caribbean countries that have achieved positive results in reducing the exposure of buildings to seismic events while recalling the 29th anniversary of the event. The earthquake that occurred in that area.

data

Weak points.

Experts in seismology and vulnerability have stated that the country is not prepared for the damages of a major earthquake.

Circumstances.

Their main arguments are constructions on weak or soft soils that amplify the seismic spectrum, informal buildings erected without any state oversight, and the low budget for disaster mitigation in the face of an impending earthquake.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos