Assessment of the Need for Rescue Forces during Destructive Earthquakes (a Case Study of Armenia)

摘要

Using international experience and the lessons of the 1988 Spitak earthquake, specific approaches and recommendations are proposed for the rapid forecasting of important data on destructive earthquakes during the assessment stage in Armenia. These are necessary for organizing rescue operations. These data include determination of the position and size of the destruction zone and the most affected populated areas; determination of possible damage to the most common types of residential buildings in the disaster zone, etc.; estimation of casualties and the affected population; determination of the 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, medicines and medical equipment, etc.) and rescue and recovery operations (water, electricity, gas supply lines, electronic communications, transport) in the destruction zone.