STRUCTURAL ASSESSMENT OF HOUSES FOR POST-EARTHQUAKE INSURANCE CLAIMS ADJUSTMENT: LESSONS FROM NORTHRIDGE

摘要

The process of adjusting earthquake insurance claims frequently involves investigation by structural and geotechnical engineers. After the 1994 Northridge earthquake, a lack of written engineering protocols contributed to inconsistent conclusions and to a sense among some stakeholders that the engineers' recommendations were unreliable. Neither engineers nor insurers have developed applicable engineering standards, and research has not focused much on conventional house construction. Engineering judgement has therefore played a substantial role in resolving both procedural and technical issues. While judgement is essential to engineering, consistency among hundreds of individual engineers is important and can be improved with written guidelines that anticipate the needs of insurers and the expectations of their policyholders.