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PurposeThis conversation presents the reflections from five prominent disaster scholars and practitioners on the opportunities and challenges associated with research following disasters and explores the importance of ethics in disaster research.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on the conversations that took place on Disasters: Deconstructed Podcast livestream on the 11th of June 2021.FindingsThe prominent themes in this conversation include ethical approaches to research, how we–as disaster researchers and practitioners–collaborate, engage, and cooperate, and whose voices are centred in a post-disaster research context.Originality/valueThe conversation contributes to ongoing discussions around the conduct and practice of disaster research.

This paper investigates the deviation angle between the principal axis of a building and its vibration direction based on in-site full-scale testing carried out on existing old buildings in Algiers (Algeria). It presents results of a study on 67 reinforced concrete existing buildings. Analysis of empirical correlations introducing geometrical characteristics and analytical frequencies of the selected buildings is performed firstly. Secondly, fundamental frequency measures of some 36 buildings were carried out using the ambient vibration technique. The study shows that each of the tested buildings exhibit a direction of vibration that does not coincide with its orthogonal axes.

The ambient vibration horizontal-to-vertical spectrum method (HVSR) is widely used in microzonation and structural studies, assuming stability and reproducibility of HVSR frequency peaks. A 35-day ...

This paper presents a stochastic analysis of expressions linking the reinforced concrete (RC) buildings maximum displacements to their natural period and the epicentral distances. Where, low- and medium-rise reinforced concrete buildings, are tested under the effect of records collected during the Boumerdes earthquake (Algeria, May 21st, 2003) at different epicentral distances. First, the expressions linking building maximum displacement and interstory drift to the building natural period and epicentral distance are derived. Then, using Monte Carlo simulation, the effect of the uncertainty of the chosen parameters on the confidence intervals of the lateral displacement and interstory drift statistics is studied, where the natural period and the epicentral distance are considered as random variables with a log-normal distribution. The findings denote that the derived expressions are less influenced by fundamental period uncertainty than the that of the epicentral distance. A good accuracy in the established formulations is reflected by the small width of the confidence intervals of the both analyzed responses.

The main objective of this present work is to estimate the seismic fragility of typical existing buildings in the north part of Algeria, in which we evaluate the performance, the seismic vulnerability and the damage of reinforced concrete frame structures and URM masonry buildings, existing in dominant way in the city of Algiers (Algeria). An analytical procedure for the derivation of fragility curves is proposed. The capacity spectrum method and seismic damage potential for the city, starting from capacity and fragility curves, are then discussed. Different tools regarding the determination of capacity curves of different existing structural systems by using a non-linear structural analysis are implemented and explained. Four damage states are defined for both structural systems. The earthquake action is expressed in terms of spectral values and the seismic quality of the buildings; the probabilities of the damage states are obtained considering a lognormal probability distribution. An ADRS format has been used for the studied area where a significant damage is obtained for mid-rise and high-rise masonry buildings.

The present work deals with the effect of beam to column rigidity ratio on the lateral stiffness of a frame. This investigation is relative to the case of a one-storey one-bay frame. The displacement method is used to formulate the global stiffness matrix of the frame. The treated problem consists of applying a lateral force at the storey to obtain its displacement and deduce the lateral stiffness. It is found that the lateral stiffness of the frame is greatly influenced by the beam to column rigidity ratio. A high value of the latter makes the overall stiffness corresponding to the sum of each column’s stiffness. For intermediate values, the influence of the beam becomes important and must be considered in the structural analysis. For very lower values, the columns behave as hinged at their top. The provided plotted curves allow finding the lateral stiffness for different base boundary conditions of the columns.

The estimation of losses resulting from an earthquake requires that for each building class, the relationship between the intensity of ground shaking and damage degree must be known or developed. Potential earthquake damage to structures, human beings and personal property have been the scope of numerous studies. Different approaches have been employed so far to estimate earthquake casualties and damage. This paper describe the basic concept for development of analytical vulnerability functions based essentially on so called damage model which was performed from probabilistic studies on seismic capacity of existing buildings in the city of Algiers (Algeria). Regarding the developed model for assessing the seismic damage, vulnerability functions of specific losses (potential losses for a specific urban area in terms of meter square area of building slabs which may involve causalities) were developed in order to predict the expected seismic risk for a given ground motion scenario.

Shaking tables are devices for testing structures or structural components models with a wide range of synthetic ground motions or real recorded earthquakes. They are essential tools in earthquake engineering research since they simulate the effects of the true inertial forces on the test specimens. The destructive earthquakes that occurred at the north part of Algeria during the period of 1954-2003 resulted in an initiative from the Algerian authorities for the construction of a shaking simulator at the National Earthquake Engineering Research Center, CGS. The acceleration tracking performance and specifically the inability of the earthquake simulator to accurately replicate the input signal can be considered as the main challenge during shaking table test. The objective of this study is to validate the uni-axial sinusoidal performances curves and to assess the accuracy and fidelity in signal reproduction using the advanced adaptive control techniques incorporated into the MTS Digital controller and software of the CGS shaking table. A set of shake table tests using harmonic and earthquake acceleration records as reference/commanded signals were performed for four test configurations: bare table, 60 t rigid mass and two 20 t elastic specimens with natural frequencies of 5 Hz and 10 Hz.

Servohydraulic shaking tables are being increasingly used in the field of earthquake engineering. They play a critical role in the advancement of the research state and remain one of the valuable tools for seismic testing. Recently, the National Earthquake Engineering Research Center, CGS, has acquired a 6.1m x 6.1 m shaking table system which has a six degree-of-freedom testing capability. The maximum specimen mass that can be tested on the shaking table is 60 t. This facility is designed specially for testing a complete civil engineering structures, substructures and structural elements up to collapse or ultimate limit states. It can also be used for qualification testing of industrial equipments. The current paper presents the main findings of the experimental shake-down characterization testing of the CGS shaking table. The test program carried out in this study included random white noise and harmonic tests. These tests were performed along each of the six degrees of freedom, three translations and three rotations. This investigation provides fundamental parameters that are required and essential while elaborating a realistic model of the CGS shaking table. Also presented in this paper, is the numerical model of the shaking table that was established and validated.

This paper attempts to present the Algerian system in education, research and practice. The Algerian higher education system is constituted of 91 institutions spread over the 48 provinces covering the entire country. This system consists of forty seven (47) state owned universities, ten (10) university centers and nineteen (19) Higher education national schools and five (05) teacher training colleges, ten (10) preparatory schools and two (02) integrated preparatory classes where more than two million students are following their education and research. In terms of education, since 2006, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific research adopted the Bologna process which organized the higher education in what is called License/Master/Doctorate with an aim to make Algerian Higher Education more compatible and comparable, more competitive and more attractive for Algerians and for students and scholars from other countries. There are more than six hundreds (600) research laboratories within the higher education institutions fully support by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

This study highlights the major contributing factors to the observed damage distribution in the city of Boumerdès after the 2003 Algeria earthquake. The results of field investigations and statistical analyses show that a majority of the damaged buildings, mostly mid-rise reinforced concrete (RC) moment-frame systems, were located on steep slopes and small hilltops, along river valleys. The horizontal-to-vertical (H/V) ratios from free-field microtremor measurements at these sites did not show clear results. In contrast, buildings with the same structural characteristics located on flat ground did not suffer much damage, and clear peaks were observed from the H/V ratio curves. The amplification effects of topography have not been incorporated into the revised Algerian seismic code, but the results from this study show the importance of considering this factor when designing new buildings for earthquake resistance.

The aim of this study is the comparison between the fundamental periods identified experimentally and those calculated using the formulas given in the Algerian Seismic Code (RPA 99) for vulnerability assessment and for experimental data collection of selected sample of old buildings. The results obtained for vulnerability assessment will then be extrapolated to buildings of the same typology built during the 1949 to 1954 period in the northern part of Algeria. From 1949 to 1954, the reinforced concrete constructions in Algeria were built before the first generation of the Algerian Seismic Code. These buildings being old are certainly weakened by the occupancy activities and seismic event loads. Hence, the evaluation of their vulnerability with respect to the regional seismic hazard requires the knowledge of their structure on a site capacity. The empirical formulas to calculate the fundamental period of a building are based on the Algerian Earthquake Code (RPA 99) .These formulas consider only the geometrical dimension (length, width and height) and the structural design of the buildings. The fundamental periods of vibration of twenty-two buildings, located in Algiers, calculated using the empirical formulas given in the RPA 99 are lower than those identified experimentally. A question then rises, do these tested buildings present any damage or not? As five of these buildings were tested before the 21 May 2003 earthquake, the experimental testing highlighted a decrease in the fundamental frequency which means that these buildings are damaged. Hence, for vulnerability assessment, the empirical formulas given in the Algerian Seismic Code (RPA 99) may not be appropriate for vulnerability assessment of the old buildings built during the 1949 to 1954 period.

This paper illustrates the results of a seismic vulnerability study aimed to derive the fragility curves for typical Algerian reinforced concrete bridge piers using an analytical approach. Fragility curves express the probability of exceeding a certain damage state for a given ground motion intensity (e.g., PGA). In this respect, a set of 41 worldwide accelerometer records from which, 21 Algerian strong motion records are included, have been used in a non-linear dynamic response analyses to assess the damage indices expressed in terms of the bridge displacement ductility, the ultimate ductility, the cyclic loading factor and the cumulative energy ductility. Combining the damage indices defined for 5 damage rank with the ground motion indices, the fragility curves for the bridge piers were derived assuming a lognormal distribution.

Site response characteristics at seismic stations were investigated using horizontal-to-vertical (H/V) spectral ratios calculated from a seismic-motion dataset of the 2003 Boumerdes earthquake, and transfer functions were evaluated from soil profile data. Although high peak ground acceleration (PGA) values were recorded at some sites, the nonlinear effect at these stations was not clear.The H/V spectral ratios calculated from weak and strong motion events did not show a clear difference in the predominant period and amplitudes, and the shapes of the H/V ratios were flat for some stations.These observations are characteristic of the presence of firm to hard layers under the stations; however, one station was located on Quaternary deposits showed a remarkable amplification at the predominant period and a high PGA value. DOI: 10.1193/1.3459158

This research article presents the consequences of 1716 Algiers earthquake. The damage records are collected from the Ottoman archives, consular mails, and communications from scientists and travelers of the eighteenth century. The 1716 Algiers earthquake is one of the most significant historical events that affected the city (I=IX MSK). These entire document sources, in particular those of the Ottoman regency, were carefully analyzed for more information about this event. This article also makes it possible to have a clear vision of the damages as well as the vulnerability of the predominant constructions in Algiers. Thus, the obtained information constitutes an excellent damage database that will enable researchers to work out the future seismic scenario in order to protect cultural heritage of the old nucleus of Algiers and eventually other historical sites that have the same characteristics.

The paper describes the methodology proposed in the PERPETUATE Project (funded by the Seventh Framework Programme – Theme ENV.2009.3.2.1.1). The methodology proposed in PERPETUATE uses a displacement-based approach for the vulnerability evaluation and design of interventions. The use of safety verification in terms of displacement, rather than strength, orients to new strengthening techniques and helps in the comprehension of interaction between structural elements and unmovable artistic assets. The procedure is based on the following fundamental steps: definition of performance limit states, specific for the cultural heritage assets (considering both structural and artistic assets); evaluation of seismic hazard and soil-foundation interactions; construction knowledge (non-destructive testing, material parameters, structural identification); development of structural models for the seismic analysis of masonry structures and artistic assets and design of interventions; application and validation of the methodology to case studies. Two main scales are considered: the seismic risk assessment at territorial scale and at the scale of single historic building or artistic assets. The final aim of the project is to develop European Guidelines for evaluation and mitigation of seismic risk to cultural heritage assets.

The 21 May 2003 Zemmouri earthquake ( Mw=6.8), which killed 2,278 people, injured 11,450, made 250,000 homeless, and destroyed or seriously damaged 6,000 buildings and 20,800 housing units, is the most significant earthquake to affect Algeria since the 1980 El Asnam earthquake ( Ms=7.3). This paper presents the report of the macroseismic survey conducted by the Centre of Research in Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Geophysics (CRAAG, Algeria) immediately after the earthquake. The collected data set has led to a comprehensive evaluation of damage and estimation of intensity at about 600 sites, a number never reached in previous earthquake damage surveys. The produced isoseismal map portrays the spatial distribution of intensities from III to X EMS. A map highlighting the damage distribution, where various geological and hydrological phenomena are reported, is also presented. The extent of the socioeconomic impact of this event confirmed that Algerian buildings are highly vulnerable to the recurrence of destructive earthquakes.

This paper presents new seismic hazard maps of the Maghreb countries by using newly re-evaluated earthquake data catalogue in the region under consideration. For this region, there is a clear need to use common procedure and data bases through the whole Maghreb region so that seismic hazard assessments are consistent from country to country. An effort is made to assess the seismic hazard and to construct earthquake hazard maps in terms of expected horizontal and vertical PGA for a 10 per cent chance of being exceeded, expected intensity (MSK), all in an economic life time of 50 and 100 years. Also, a return period seismic hazard map for PGA≥140cm/s2 is presented. For engineering applications, earthquake hazard maps for structures with different periods are also constructed.

This paper presents the evaluation of seismic hazard at the site of Algiers (capital of Algeria). In order to implement earthquake-resistant design codes, it is usually necessary to know the maximum dynamic load which a particular structure might experience during its economic life, or alternatively, the most probable return period of a specified design load. The evaluation of the seismic hazard at the site, based on peak ground motion acceleration and using Cornell's method and Benouar's earthquake Maghreb catalogue, in terms of return period, probability of exceedance of PGA, design ground motion and a response spectrum, is carried out for the City of Algiers and its surroundings. The response spectrum for Algiers presented in this paper is the first one realized in Algeria using revised Algerian data.

North Africa is one of the most earthquake-prone areas of the Mediterranean. Many devastating earthquakes, some of them tsunami-triggering, inflicted heavy loss of life and considerable economic damage to the region. In order to mitigate the destructive impact of the earthquakes, the regional seismic hazard in North Africa is assessed using the neo-deterministic, multi-scenario methodology (NDSHA) based on the computation of synthetic seismograms, using the modal summation technique, at a regular grid of 0.2 × 0.2°. This is the first study aimed at producing NDSHA maps of North Africa including five countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. The key input data for the NDSHA algorithm are earthquake sources, seismotectonic zonation, and structural models. In the preparation of the input data, it has been really important to go beyond the national borders and to adopt a coherent strategy all over the area. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of the teams involved, it has been possible to properly merge the earthquake catalogues available for each country to define with homogeneous criteria the seismogenic zones, the characteristic focal mechanism associated with each of them, and the structural models used to model wave propagation from the sources to the sites. As a result, reliable seismic hazard maps are produced in terms of maximum displacement (D max), maximum velocity (V max), and design ground acceleration.

This paper presents the results of an investigation of the magnitude–intensity and intensity–attenuation relationships for earthquakes in the Atlas block and Algeria using macroseismic data. This work is based on a selected sample of isoseismal maps from 32 events which were recently revised. Surface-wave magnitudes, Ms, are recalculated using the Prague formula and range from 4·2 to 7·45. Because the Atlas mountains block is in a collision zone, earthquakes occur in general within a layer 15 km deep. Expressions of general form for the magnitude–intensity and intensity–attenuation correlations are adopted and are, respectively, and where R2 = d2 + h2, d the source distance in km, h the focal depth in km, Ms the revised surface-wave magnitude, Msc the predicted surface-wave magnitude, Ii the intensity at isoseismal i, I the predicted intensity, σ the standard deviation and P is zero for 50-percentile values and one for 84-percentile, and the coefficients A's and B's are determined by regression analysis. The results of this study show that the intensity–attenuation models are adequate to predict quite well the die-out of intensity with distance in the Atlas zone and coastal Algeria; it is also found that magnitude can be predicted accurately by calibrating isoseismal radii against revised instrumental surface-wave magnitude. Such magnitude–intensity relationships may be used to evaluate the magnitude of historical earthquakes in the region under survey, with no instrumental data, for which isoseismal radii and intensities are available.

The Bou Medfaa earthquake of 7 November 1959 occurred at 2 h 32 min 7 s (GMT); it is one of the most destructive seismic events that central Algeria experienced this century. The main shock, which lasted 8 s in Bou Medfaa, caused only two injuries but made at least 500 homeless; it destroyed or heavily damaged more than 80% of the houses, farms and public buildings in Bou Medfaa and its immediate surroundings. Poor-quality constructions were the main cause of the damage. The total cost of damage was estimated at 300 million French francs. The earthquake was preceded by two slight foreshocks and followed by a series of lower intensity aftershocks. It was associated with slight surface ground fissures in Bou Medfaa. Compilation and detailed study of the contemporary source documents relative to this earthquake have led to the reconstruction of its macroseismic field and thus to the re-assessment of the strength of the ground shaking. Intensities were re-evaluated anew in many sites. Maximum intensity has been re-estimated at I 0 = VIII (MSK), assigned to Bou Medfaa, Hammam Righa and their close vicinities, an area about 8 km radius. The shock was felt as far as Dellys 150 km away with intensity III (MSK). From the intensity data, the macroseismic epicentre was located slightly north of Bou Medfaa at 36·41°N, 2·48°E, and an isoseismal map of the main shock has been constructed. The surface-wave magnitude has been calculated, without station corrections, at 4·90 (±0·40). The instrumental epicentre has been relocated, using the present location procedure of the ISC, at 36·38°N, 2·55°E. The analysis of destructive earthquakes provides a fundamental means for the reduction of future seismic catastrophes by suggesting new ways of improving local construction procedures, building materials, strengthening and properly repairing existing structures and implantation of new urban and rural settlements.

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Algiers city is located in a seismogenic zone. To reduce the impact of seismic risk in this Capital city, a realistic modelling of the seismic ground motion (SGM) is conducted by using the hybrid method that combines the finite differences method and the modal summation. For this purpose, a complete database of geological, geophysical and earthquake data is constructed. A critical re-appraisal of the seismicity of the zone [2.25°E–3.50°E, 36.50°N–37.00°N] is performed and an earthquake list, for the period 1359–2002, is compiled. The analysis of existing and newly retrieved macroseismic information allowed the definition of earthquake parameters of macroseismic events for which a degree of reliability is assigned. Geological cross sections have been built up to model the SGM in the city, caused by the 1989 Mont-Chenoua and the 1924 Douera earthquakes. Synthetic seismograms and response spectral ratio is produced for Algiers, and they show that the soft sediments in Algiers centre are responsible of the noticed amplification of the SGM.

We intend to reappraise the seismogenic potential of the geologic structures in the site of Algiers and its surroundings. A compilation of a working earthquake catalogue is first made using all events reported in all previous documentation available. However for the sake of homogeneity and a certain degree of reliability of the data, only revised seismic events with epicenter coordinates, magnitude and/or intensity are included. A tectonic setting of the zone under investigation and available fault plane solutions are presented. The results obtained in previous seismological studies of the most recent earthquakes of the area are also discussed. The findings highlight the great interest to be taken in the detailed and timely assessment of the seismic hazard of Algiers and its surroundings which is made possible by the realistic modelling of the scenario seismic input.

The project addressed the problem of pre-disaster orien- tation: hazard prediction, risk assessment, and hazard mapping, in connection with seismic activity and man- induced vibrations. The definition of realistic seismic input has been obtained from the computation of a wide set of time histories and spectral information, corre- sponding to possible seismotectonic scenarios for dif- ferent source and structural models. The innovative modeling technique, that constitutes the common tool to the entire project, takes into account source, propaga- tion and local site effects. This is done using first princi- ples of physics about wave generation and propagation in complex media, and does not require to resort to con- volutive approaches, that have been proven to be quite unreliable, mainly when dealing with complex geologi- cal structures, the most interesting from the practical point of view. In fact, several techniques that have been proposed to empirically estimate the site effects using observations convolved with theoretically computed signals corresponding to simplified models, supply reli- able information about the site response to non-interfer- ing seismic phases. They are not adequate in most of the real cases, when the seismic sequel is formed by several interfering waves. The availability of realistic numeri- cal simulations enables us to reliably estimate the amplification effects even in complex geological struc- tures, exploiting the available geotechnical, lithologi- cal, geophysical parameters, topography of the medium, tectonic, historical, palaeoseismological data, and seismotectonic models. The realistic modeling of the ground motion is a very important base of knowl- edge for the preparation of groundshaking scenarios that represent a valid and economic tool for the seismic microzonation. This knowledge can be very fruitfully used by civil engineers in the design of new seismo- resistant constructions and in the reinforcement of the existing built environment, and, therefore, supply a par- ticularly powerful tool for the prevention aspects of Civil Defense. We present a selection of the main results obtained for the cities of Algiers, Beijing, Bucharest, Cairo, Debrecen, Delhi, Naples, Rome, Russe, Santiago de Cuba, Sofia, Thessaloniki and Zagreb.

With many disasters taking place in urban areas of Africa on a regular basis, affecting millions of people each year, there is an increasing need to understand the processes by which the risks from potential disasters develop in urban areas. To address this, the African Urban Risk Analysis Network (AURAN) has been formed in January 2003 by six African institutions, with support from UNDP and ProVention Consortium. Work is underway in Accra, Algiers, Cape Town, Dar es Salaam, Nairobi and Saint Louis (Senegal) to identify

This paper reappraises the seismicity of Algeria and adjacent regions. It presents a general view of the geographical structure, the historical development of the seismological station network, some aspects of the effects of past destructive earthquakes, the state of knowledge of the seismicity and the seismic hazard and risk in the region under survey. Magnitude-frequency relationships for different parts of the region studied are presented as well as magnitude-intensity and intensity-attenuation relationships, semi-empirical formula. It also discusses the macroseismic information, the instrumental data and the social and economic implications of earthquakes in the Maghreb region.

This paper presents the different earthquake disaster prevention and post-disaster measures taken by the government of Algeria between 1980 and 1995. It details the measures taken at the country level as well as those involving the co-operation of international organizations. It discusses post-disaster measures including the relief of victims and the methodology of the assessment of the serviceability of damaged structures after the disaster, which represents one of the most important duty of the emergency staff, are also discussed. It examines the range of needed, possible and practical pre-disaster measures which the government of Algeria should undertake and actively encourage. This study briefly presents scientific and non-scientific Algerian organizations.

Dr. Benouar presents a full and integrated study of the recent seismicity of Algeria and adjacent regions during the twentieth century. He has amassed an impressive amount of macroseismic information pertaining to individual earthquakes, which he combines with instrumental information to reassess the origin parameters of each event. In any compilation of earthquakes it is the additional information beyond the bare accumulation of figures and facts that adds interest and social understanding to the scientific appreciation of the earthquakes themselves. For this it is necessary to know the local conditions, and Dr. Benouar brings out for us very vivid1y the differences between reporting procedures at different times this century, and the ensuing difficulties. It would be most difficult for an outsider to gather the information he presents, and he makes good use of his knowledge of his native land, as well as his professional training as an engineer. We thus learn of the reluctance of the colonial powers to report on damage or casualties outside those inflicted on the expatriate community, and the general difficulties of finding information about earthquakes that occurred during the wars of independence, at a time when effects of even major earthquakes were sometimes minor compared to those of the war itself. He also does not spare us details of political difficulties that arose during periods of reconstruction following recent earthquakes. This work is not restricted, however, to description. He examines the underlying tectonics of the area and deduces estimates of hazard and risk in various parts of the country. He then proceeds to examine the engineering consequences and discuss future needs for building codes and civil protection. Dr. Benouar has produced a work which could well form a model for those wishing to undertake comprelzensive studies of seismicity of other areas, and the measures needed to reduce the effects of catastrophic earthquakes.