SURA developed a post-earthquake assessment methodology that is applied only by structural engineering specialists for the diagnosis, damage classification and definition of intervention solutions for buildings affected by earthquakes. 

* This article was published in Geociencias SURA Journal | Issue 3 | March 2018.

Origin 

The 6.2 magnitude (Mw) earthquake at a depth of 10 km in the city of Armenia (Colombia), on January 25, 1999, generated in the management of SURA, particularly in its president, Gonzalo Alberto Pérez, the need to develop a methodology, specific to the company, for the evaluation of post-earthquake buildings. 

Although SURA's post-earthquake care in the areas affected by the Armenia earthquake included the participation of a group of structural engineers, There was no methodology that would allow for the standardization of unified criteria for the evaluation of the affected buildings.This earthquake was the inspiration for SURA's post-earthquake assessment methodology. 

The methodology focused on achieving unified procedures and evaluation criteria, aimed at diagnosing and classifying objective damage, to support decisions regarding the repair, rehabilitation or reconstruction of its clients' buildings, in accordance with applicable earthquake-resistant construction regulations and advances in the state of the art in structural engineering worldwide. 

“Suramericana has had great vision in developing this methodology, as it is not only thinking about paying for the damages, but is also contributing to the construction of more resilient and less vulnerable cities, which are better prepared to face another earthquake.” 

Juana Llano, Vice President of SURAMERICANA SA Insurance

 

Development and implementation 

The development of SURA's post-earthquake assessment methodology since its inception in 2005 has been led by engineer Gloria María Estrada, current manager of Geosciences at SURA at the regional level, with the participation of three external advisors from academia and the professional practice of structural engineering, engineers Juan Diego Jaramillo, Roberto Rochel and Álvaro Pérez. This team developed the first version of the methodology that was completed in 2008. 

Weeks after the 8.8 magnitude (Mw) earthquake occurred in Chile on February 27, 2010, This group of professionals made a reconnaissance visit to the main affected areas, to test the methodology in different types of buildings with different levels of damage. 

To develop this methodology, different proposals and criteria existing in the world were studied, among which those of FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency, United States), NEHRP (National Earthquake Hazard Research Program, United States) and some specific publications of the AIS (Colombian Association of Seismic Engineering) stand out. 

The great contribution of the SURA methodology with respect to existing approaches was to achieve a diagnosis and classification of damages based on quantitative data., which allow obtaining an objective view, based on engineering criteria. 

Between 2012 and 2015, engineers Elizabeth Cardona, Victoria González and Juan David Rendón joined the work team and are now part of SURA's Geosciences team. Since this is a dynamic methodology that seeks to be at the forefront of advances in structural and seismic engineering, it has been subject to review and feedback processes from external specialists, such as engineers Francisco Pérez, from the firm Andes Ingeniería, and Alejandro Pérez, from the firm Proyectos y Diseños. 

To implement this methodology, SURA has trained external teams of structural engineering specialists. In 2008, SURA had a group of 60 structural engineers trained in Colombia. Currently, the company has expanded this group and has specialists in Colombia, Chile and Mexico, which gives it a greater response capacity. 

The most important test of this methodology occurred in 2017, in the SURA evaluation plan after the earthquake of September 19, 2017 in Mexico, in which a group of more than 70 engineers specializing in structures participated. 

There are valuable lessons learned from this experience, but the most important is the conviction of its importance to channel efforts towards the seismic resilience of our region, seeking to repair, rehabilitate and rebuild buildings in accordance with advances in engineering. 

Tomás Isaza, current Director of Insurance at SURA Mexico, promoted and supported the development of SURA's methodology for assessing post-earthquake buildings since its inception in 2005 and after seeing its application in Mexico, he is convinced of its effectiveness in meeting the needs of clients affected by earthquakes. 

What is SURA's methodology for assessing post-earthquake buildings? 

Accompany the client with structural engineering specialists in two fundamental stages: 

• Damage diagnosis and classification: Based on inspection visits carried out exclusively by structural engineers, a standard damage assessment manual is followed. The results are analyzed by a centralized team of specialists, who generate the damage classification report for each building.
• Assignment of repair, rehabilitation or reconstruction methods, according to the damage.

What is the procedure used by SURA to classify damages?

1. Identify the areas affected by the earthquake.

2. Assign structural engineers to the areas to carry out the survey of damage to the insured buildings.

3. Process the field data to classify the damage to each building into one of the following three categories: risk of collapse, minor damage or special damage.

4. Prepare a report with the damage classification indicating the recommendations or complementary studies necessary to define the intervention methods.

The stages and categories for damage classification are: 

Stage 1. Diagnosis and classification of damage.

• Manual for completing the field form, to achieve unified criteria. 
• Form for the collection of information in the field by structural engineers to characterize the building and the post-earthquake damage in the affected areas. 
• Analysis of forms completed in the field by a centralized team of specialists. 
• Program for generating diagnostic reports and damage classification, based on the processing of field forms. 

Category 1. Risk of collapse. Buildings whose damage implies collapse or risk of collapse, which require demolition and construction of a new building, following the applicable seismic design standards. 

Category 2. Minor breakdowns. Buildings with minor damage repairable using standard procedures. 

Category 3. Special damages. Additional studies are required to define the most appropriate post-earthquake intervention solution. 

Stage 2. Assignment of repair, rehabilitation or reconstruction methods, according to the level of damage 

• Complementary studies carried out by specialist structural engineering firms with extensive knowledge and experience, to define the most appropriate intervention for the building. The deliverables of these studies vary according to the particular conditions of each building:

Connection with the urban planning megatrend 

SURA's methodology for post-earthquake assessment allows for appropriate treatment of affected buildings and, in turn, leverages the development of knowledge that provides very positive feedback for seismic risk management in Latin America. 

In this way, preventive studies and projects are promoted based on the knowledge acquired on how to achieve better seismic performance of buildings, which is directly connected to the urban planning megatrend. 

As part of this megatrend, all opportunities for earthquake damage reduction are leveraged to build more resilient cities, because For people, businesses and society in general, post-earthquake care will always be more expensive than pre-earthquake management.With this and other initiatives, SURA aims to contribute experience, knowledge and conviction to the region.

Fonts

• Alvaro Perez Arango. Civil Engineer from the National University of Colombia; M.Sc. in Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering from the Technical Institute of Karlsruhe, Germany. 
• Gloria Maria Estrada AlvarezCivil Engineer, specialist in Environmental Engineering, specialist and M.Sc. in Earthquake Resistant Engineering. 
• Juan Diego Jaramillo Fernandez. Civil Engineer, M.Sc. in Earthquake Resistant Engineering and Ph.D. in Engineering.  
• Roberto Rochel Awad. Civil Engineer, M.Sc. in Structures; Professor Emeritus at EAFIT University, Visiting Professor at the Universidad del Norte, the National University of Medellín, the University of Antioquia and the Industrial University of Santander.