The Best of GRReporter
flag_bg flag_gr flag_gb

Checking buildings in Greece after quake in Italy

09 April 2009 / 15:04:08  GRReporter
1997 reads

After the deadly earthquake in Italy, which took the lives of 278 people, seismologists and construction experts claim that the reliability of all buildings in Greece must be checked. Experts also claim that 8 out of every 10 buildings in Greece do not pass the seismic activity requirements. A special commission has checked 3 990 512 buildings throughout the whole country within a program for the strengthening of buildings.


In their report the experts claim that 80% of the checked buildings throughout the country, which were built before 1985 with the old seismic requirements, do not suit the new requirements and will collapse during a strong earthquake. The price for the strengthening restoration will depend on the condition - between 5% and 50% from the property value.


35% of those buildings are made of bricks or stones and they need to be reconstructed firstly. The check of big public buildings is going slowly. It is believed that those buildings in Greece are more than 80 000 and only 5 800 out of them are checked. All buildings, which have a ground open parking surrounded by columns are considered to be seismically unstable and they are about 3% out of all buildings in the country.


The chairman of the Building Seismic Stability Commission Yannis Alavonos claims that each year earthquakes cost the Greek budget ?600 million – those are money for compensating victims and recovery of the quake area. He insists that the money should be given beforehand for strengthening the buildings, so that the potential damages can be decreased and so that there will not be any victims.


Photo: Seamus Shortall

Tags:
SUPPORT US!
GRReporter’s content is brought to you for free 7 days a week by a team of highly professional journalists, translators, photographers, operators, software developers, designers. If you like and follow our work, consider whether you could support us financially with an amount at your choice.
Subscription
You can support us only once as well.
blog comments powered by Disqus