Earthquake Engineering Research Institute
Learning From Earthquakes

Reconnaissance Reports from the Architectural Institute of Japan

Read the Reports: Quick Reconnaissance Report of East Japan Earthquake Disaster – March 20, 2011 by Reiji Tanaka (1.8 MB PDF) Quick Reconnaissance Report of East Japan Earthquake Disaster – March 21, 2011 by Reiji Tanaka (1.6 MB PDF) Quick Reconnaissance Report of East Japan Earthquake Disaster – March 25, 2011 by Reiji Tanaka and Tomohiko Arai (0.5 MB PDF) Quick Reconnaissance Report of East […]

Photos and statistics of building damage in Sendai

Out of 175 buildings: No damage: 95 buildings Some damage, but could be operational in short time: 66 buildings Severe damage, need some time before use: 14 buildings Collapse or tilting: 0 buildings  A church in Mito City, Ibaragi Prefecture, suffered severe damage in the tower. A automobile ramp to the roof parking area collapse […]

Effects of the 2011 Tohoku Japan Earthquake on Steel Structures

US Team James M. Ricles, Professor, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA (Group Leader) Dimitrios G. Lignos, Assistant Professor, McGill University, Montreal, Canada Jay Love, Degenkolb Engineers, San Francisco, CA, USA Japan Team Mitsumasa Midorikawa, Professor, Hokkaido University, Japan Taichiro Okazaki, Associate Professor, Hokkaido University, Japan                     […]

Residential & Business Damage

Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3             Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6             Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9             Figure 10 Figure 11 Figure 12             Figure 13 Figure 14 Figure 15   […]

Building Damage

 From: “5.9-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes East Coast”, New York Times, Katharine Q. Seelye In Mineral, Va., a town about of about 500 people located four miles from the quake’s center, residents reported extensive damage to items inside homes. China shattered and pictures fell off walls. From: “5.8 quake hits Va.; Felt along U.S. East Coast” , AP At Reagan National Airport […]

Damage to Fire Station & Gilboa Church

  Figure 1. Fire Station Damage –201 1st Street, Mineral, VA     The fire fighters described a ripple in the floor during the earthquake. The fire station was built in three parts. The back part was built in 1975, the middle part was 1950’s and the front part with the main truck bay was building in […]