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USGS1995

The Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of January 17, 1995: Performance of lifelines

This report describes the damage to lifelines caused by the 1995 Hanshin-Awaji (Kobe) earthquake in Japan. It begins with a summary of the earthquake's seismological characteristics which is followed by separate chapters that focus on the performance of lifelines in the affected region. In order of presentation, individual chapters discuss the damage to: 1) electric power networks; 2) gas delivery systems; 3) hospitals (considered as a system composed of building/architectural components, as well as communication and support systems); 4) telecommunication systems; 5) transportation systems; and 6) water supply systems and wastewater systems. The transportation section includes three subsections: airport facilities, highways and bridges, and underground rapid transit systems. For each lifeline, an overview of the system is given, indicating the owner/operator, the location and extent of the service area, the number of households and industrial/commercial customers served. In addition to descriptions of the individual system, design criteria for the physical components of the individual systems are provided, including a comparison of the differences between the US and Japanese systems. The performance of each lifeline system is discussed with reference to seismic damage, emergency response, service interruption and restoration.

Hanshin↗

USGS1992

The Loma Prieta, California, earthquake of October, 17, 1989: Marina District

During the earthquake, a total land area of about 4,300 km2 was shaken with seismic intensities that can cause significant damage to structures. The area of the Marina District of San Francisco is only 4.0 km2--less than 0.1 percent of the area most strongly affected by the earthquake--but its significance with respect to engineering, seismology, and planning far outstrips its proportion of shaken terrain and makes it a centerpiece for lessons learned from the earthquake. The Marina District provides perhaps the most comprehensive case history of seismic effects at a specific site developed for any earthquake. The reports assembled in this chapter, which provide an account of these seismic effects, constitute a unique collection of studies on site, as well as infrastructure and societal, response that cover virtually all aspects of the earthquake, ranging from incoming ground waves to the outgoing airwaves used for emergency communication. The Marina District encompasses the area bounded by San Francisco Bay on the north, the Presidio on the west, and Lombard Street and Van Ness Avenue on the south and east, respectively. Nearly all of the earthquake damage in the Marina District, however, occurred within a considerably smaller area of about 0.75 km2, bounded by San Francisco Bay and Baker, Chestnut, and Buchanan Streets. At least five major aspects of earthquake response in the Marina District are covered by the reports in this chapter: (1) dynamic site response, (2) soil liquefaction, (3) lifeline performance, (4) building performance, and (5) emergency services.

California↗