Advancing Earthquake Resilience: Innovations and Strategies for Disaster Risk ReductionEngaging professionals, civil engineers, and innovative s...
Published on by Hossein Ataei Far, Deputy Manager of the Research, Technology Development, and Industry Relations Center at NWWEC
Engaging professionals, civil engineers, and innovative startups to prioritize infrastructure resilience and disaster preparedness, focusing on earthquake readiness, is crucial in the wake of recent catastrophic events in Thailand, Myanmar, Turkey, and beyond.
The 7.7-magnitude earthquake in central Myanmar in March 2025 resulted in over 1,600 fatalities and significant structural collapses, including a 33-story building in Bangkok, Thailand. These incidents highlight the urgent necessity for stronger building codes, refined urban planning, and advanced early warning systems to mitigate future disasters.
Collaboration among scientists, engineers, policymakers, and technology-driven startups is vital for developing resilient structures, enhancing emergency response capabilities, and deploying advanced seismic monitoring systems. Investing in innovation and global cooperation is imperative to protecting communities from future seismic threats.
The article titled "Innovations in Earthquake Risk Reduction for Resilience: Recent Advances and Challenges," (31 pages) authored by Fabio Freddi and 15 top experts, encapsulates key insights from a workshop aimed at informing researchers worldwide and broadening the scope of the conversation. The objective is to drive change in seismic risk quantification and mitigation strategies.
The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) 2015–2030, championed by the UN, concentrates on enhancing global disaster preparedness and resilience. It prioritizes understanding disaster risks and investing in disaster risk reduction (DRR) to build resilience, emphasizing the integration of scientific research, technological innovation, and policy measures, specifically in earthquake-prone areas.
Experts convened to discuss innovations in earthquake risk reduction focusing on two main approaches:
Soft Risk-Reduction Strategies: Advanced modeling, early warning systems, and disaster financing tools.
Hard Risk-Reduction Strategies: Structural innovations, retrofitting, and sensor-based monitoring.
Modern catastrophe risk models are enhancing loss estimates by integrating hazard, vulnerability, exposure, and loss data. Physics-based simulations, including 3D models, provide better accuracy but face challenges such as high data requirements and computational constraints.
Innovations in seismic isolation and damping systems bolster resilience, while self-centering systems minimize damage. Structural health monitoring is crucial for assessing infrastructure integrity. Parametric insurance offers quick post-disaster payouts, and increased DRR investment can significantly boost resilience, especially in low-income countries.
Refining computational hazard modeling is essential to improve risk assessments. Bridging the gap between science, engineering, and policy is critical for effective DRR applications, while enhanced data collection is necessary for real-time earthquake monitoring, especially in underrepresented regions.
Physics-based ground-motion simulations and loss models require high-resolution data and face challenges related to data accessibility, validation, and computational feasibility. Despite these challenges, they promise more reliable risk assessments.
Seismic isolation reduces building response to ground motion using devices like rubber bearings or friction pendulum systems, facing issues such as brittleness under extreme conditions. Supplemental dampers, such as buckling-restrained braces, assist in reducing seismic forces but may encounter reliability issues following multiple earthquakes.
Addressing variability in device performance due to uncertainties in device parameters is essential and warrants further study. Friction devices effectively reduce damage but face challenges like corrosion and bolt preload loss. Velocity-dependent devices necessitate additional exploration into failure modes and design optimization for enhanced reliability.
Innovative configurations, like external dissipative bracing, offer retrofitting without major business interruptions. Solutions must adapt and maintain performance over time, paying attention to connection failure and aging effects to ensure the long-term effectiveness of retrofitting strategies.
This summary highlights key efforts in enhancing earthquake risk assessment and resilience through technological and engineering advancements, while emphasizing ongoing challenges that demand further research and innovation.
Reference:
Freddi, F., et al. (2021). "Innovations in Earthquake Risk Reduction for Resilience: Recent Advances and Challenges," International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, Volume 60.