Damage From Two Consecutive Earthquakes at City of Van (Turkey)

Abstract

One of the most devastating natural events is, definitely, earthquake. The energy released from earthquakes test performance of a large building stock. Distressingly, some buildings fail to possess enough strength and/or ductility during these events, causing loss of lives and property. Therefore, the observations from past natural events play an important role in decreasing the losses during future natural disasters. In 2011, two consecutive earthquakes occurred in Van region, eastern part of Turkey in a three-week period. United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported the magnitudes as 7.1 and 5.6 with focal depths of 16 km and 5 km, respectively. Teams from the Earthquake Engineering Research Center (EERC) of Middle East Technical University (METU) visited the site after each earthquake and made a reconnaissance survey, which enabled to monitor the damage distributions and structural deficiencies. In this study, the damage accumulation at Van city and Ercis district is summarized by focusing on approximately 100 structures, surveyed after both earthquakes. The observed structural damages as well as the parameters affecting damage are discussed based on statistical data collected from site observations.