Seismic Vulnerability and Risk Assessment for Metropolitan Area of San Salvador (Amss) - the Case Study Santa Tecla

Abstract eng:
The republic of El Salvador is struck by a destructive earthquake, or earthquake sequence, once per decade on average. With a geographical extension of a little more than 20,000 km2, the frequency of damaging earthquakes clearly demonstrates that El Salvador is a country of very high seismic hazard. Indeed, the capital city, San Salvador, is probably the city in the Americas that has been most frequently damaged by earthquakes. The city and municipality of Santa Tecla is the capital of the La Libertad department and belongs to the Metropolitan Area of San Salvador (AMSS). The city was founded on 1854 with main goal to be the new capital of El Salvador after San Salvador was completely destroyed by an Earthquake, objective which did not materialized after all. Nevertheless, Santa Tecla has experienced the same fate of its neighbor, being greatly damaged by the 2001 earthquakes where, at least, 80% of its historical center was destroyed. Santa Tecla has been identified as one of the most critical areas in the AMSS in terms of seismic risk due to both its geological settings and construction practices. Therefore, the urban area of Santa Tecla was selected to conduct a research. This was the first study of this type performed in an urban area in El Salvador which included exposed elements belonging to the housing, business and industry portfolios. Structures in those portfolios has been surveyed and categorized into typologies. Vulnerability classes have been assigned following the EMS-98 principles, where applicable. This process has given a unique insight about the structural systems commonly found in El Salvador. In addition, the applicability of EMS Vulnerability Table and the need of refinements to cover the variety existing building types could be elaborated.

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