Consequences on the Urban Environment in Greece Related to the Recent Intense Earthquake Activity

Past earthquake disasters in Greece, during the last thirty years, demonstrate that the severity of destruction is not only due to the intensity of the seismic event but also to the urbanization of the affected region and the vulnerability of certain types of buildings. Considerable damage was sustained by both old unreinforced masonry structures as well as by relatively new multistory reinforced concrete structures with "soft story" at their ground floor level. The most important observations made during six past earthquake disasters are presented in a summary form and discussed. The most remarkable case of extensive structural damage was caused from the resent Athens 1999 earthquake. The consequent discussion focuses on the following issues: (1) Classification of structural damage and their underlying causes. (2) Repair and strengthening of damaged structures. (3) Upgrade the seismic design. (4) Plans for earthquake preparedness. (5) Assessing the vulnerability of certain type of structures (schools, hospitals, public buildings etc). (6) Education specialized in earthquake engineering. (7) The enrichment of the strong motion data base.