Christchurch, New Zealand

What is A Virtual Clearinghouse?

Virtual Clearinghouses are part of EERI’s Learning for Earthquakes (LFE) program. Beginning in 2009, EERI began to host a series of virtual earthquake clearinghouses after major earthquakes where information coming from the affected area could be quickly shared with members and others. These virtual clearinghouses are websites that contain early information provided by investigators from a variety of disciplines, including members of EERI reconnaissance teams. The virtual clearinghouses primarily capture ephemeral data about each event, but may also be updated with recovery and rebuilding information over time. For a complete list of EERI virtual clearinghouse sites and more information about the Learning From Earthquakes program, visit http://www.learningfromearthquakes.org.

How do I use this site?

EERI members and other investigators are encouraged to use this clearinghouse website to share brief observations and photos from the field as well as link to other resources or websites where more detailed information can be found. Please help contribute to our effort.

The Resources page displays all the resources collected through various sources (i.e. field reconnaissance posts, reconnaissance reports, links to previously collected data sources, housing reports for the affected area, etc.) in a searchable summary table. These resources are organized by categories. This page provides users with several resources including reconnaissance reports. It also contains links to other sites for more information.

The Data Map displays observations (primarily captioned photos but occasionally other data) from EERI field teams or other contributors showing earthquake damage and impacts. Many of these photos are geolocated to allow field teams, researchers and those involved in the recovery effort to identify specific damage locations.

The Photo Gallery is a database of these photos that can be searched for specific information. Data Maps also overlay many data layers from other organizations including the USGS shake maps and ground motion stations when possible.

The How to Contribute page identifies ways that EERI members and other earthquake risk reduction experts can contribute to the reconnaissance effort and virtual clearinghouse site.

If you are interested in a particular topic, use the search bar at the top of the page to find information on specific subjects, navigate posts, and uncover related media articles. Additionally, use the search bar to explore the Photo Gallery to see what has been posted thus far.

How does EERI respond to earthquakes?
What does a reconnaissance team do?

EERI responds to earthquakes as a part of its Learning from Earthquakes (LFE) program. EERI often sends a reconnaissance team of earthquake risk mitigation experts to investigate earthquake impacts depending on the earthquake magnitude, location, extent of impacts on the built environment, funding constraints, and many other factors. The reconnaissance team makes a rapid, general damage survey of the affected area, documents initial important observations from the particular earthquake, and assesses the need for follow-up areas of research. Observations and findings from these teams support emergency response and recovery activities in the short term and improve the understanding of natural hazards and how to mitigate their impacts in the long term.

Who is EERI?

The Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) is a nonprofit multi-disciplinary technical society of engineers, practicing professionals, and researchers dedicated to reducing earthquake risk. For more information visit www.eeri.org.