The retrofitting of existing structures is receiving considerable interest in the aftermath of recent earthquakes. It has been immensely realised that the loss of life in earthquakes can be greatly minimised if the building failures are prevented. Therefore the structural safety of buildings is of great concern in earthquakes. The issues of structural safety that are of immediate concern following an earthquake are (ⅰ) rapid evaluation of condition of damaged structures (ⅱ) identification of structures that can be repaired, restored and retrofitted (ⅲ) earthquake safety of existing structures. This paper presents certain issues related to repair and retrofitting of buildings such as causes of failure, principles of repair and retrofitting, methods of repair, restoration and retrofitting of buildings and issues of implementation. The success of mitigating disaster in an earthquake lies in the implementation of a comprehensive earthquake preparedness program. Preparedness and awareness are keywords for earthquake safety of structures and life. Earthquake protection of structures and prevention of loss of life is possible by retrofitting of existing seismically deficient structures.
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