ASSESSMENT OF THE NEED FOR RESCUE FORCES DURING DESTRUCTIVE EARTHQUAKES (ON THE EXAMPLE OF ARMENIA)

S.N. Nazaretyan, S.S. Nazaretyan

Territorial Survey for Seismic Protection of MES RA, Yerevan, Armenia

Corresponding author: S.N. Nazaretyan, e-mail: snaznssp@mail.ru

Abstract. Using international experience and the lessons of the 1988 Spitak earthquake, specific approaches and recommendations are proposed for the operational forecasting of important data on a destructive earthquake during the assessment stage in Armenia. They are necessary for organizing rescue operations. These data include: determination of the position and size of the destruction zone and the most affected settlements; determination of possible damages to the most common types of residential buildings in the disaster area, etc.; estimation of casualties and affected population; determination of approximate number of people left homeless; determination of damaged lifelines, etc. Based on these data, approaches and estimates are proposed for preliminary calculations of the necessary rescue forces and equipment (rescuers and heavy rescue equipment, medical personnel, medication and medical equipment, etc.) and the rescue and recovery operations (water, electricity, gas supply lines, electronic communications, transport) of the destruction zone.

Keywords: earthquake, losses, rescue forces, life support

About the authors

NAZARETYAN Sergey Norairovich – Territorial Survey for Seismic Protection of MES RA. Armenia, Yerevan, Tsitsernakaberdi Highway 8/1. E-mail: snaznssp@mail.ru

NAZARETYAN Siranush Sergeyevna – Territorial Survey for Seismic Protection of MES RA. Armenia, 3115, Gyumri, st. V. Sargsyan, 5. E-mail: nazaretyan.siranush@mail.ru

Cite this article as: Nazaretyan S.N., Nazaretyan S.S. Assessment of the need for rescue forces during destructive earthquakes (on the example of Armenia), Voprosy Inzhenernoi Seismologii (Problems of Engineering Seismology). 2020. V. 47, No. 4. P.26–42. [in Russian]. https://doi.org/10.21455/VIS2020.4-2

English translation of the article will be published in Seismic Instruments, ISSN: 0747-9239 (Print) 1934-7871 (Online), https://link.springer.com/journal/11990