In Santiago yesterday, the formation of an elite team of engineering professionals was announced, which will be in charge of the evaluation process resulting from a significant earthquake.
In the Dominican Republic at the beginning of 2023, several seismic events have been recorded that have generated concern among professionals in the field, in addition to having left consequences in some infrastructure, the most intense being the 5.3 degree, which occurred at 7:11 a.m. on February 1st in the south of the province of Peravia.
The National Emergency Commission (CNE) and the National Office for Seismic Evaluation and Vulnerability of Infrastructure and Buildings (ONESVIE) announced the Network of Seismic Evaluators, which seeks to generate training actions to mitigate risks.
Leonardo Reyes, director of ONESVI, explained that through this network, 40 professionals and experts will be trained and certified for the evaluation of buildings, infrastructure, and lifelines, enabling preparation and mitigation before an event.
He stated that they plan to provide a response for rehabilitation and recovery after any event that impacts the Dominican territory.
Reyes indicated that the initiative will be financed with funds from the European Union.
Juan Salas, president of the CNE and executive director of Civil Defense, indicated that the initiative is part of the Dominican Government's actions to strengthen capacities in disaster risk management, through inter-institutional coordination involving the 34 entities that are part of the National Emergency Commission.
Yanelba Abreu, director of the Progeri-RD project, highlighted that the relevance of these actions lies in the implementation of methodologies that strengthen the country's capacity to verify unfavorable structural conditions that could generate disasters in the event of seismic activity on Dominican soil, and that these advances can be adapted by other countries in the Caribbean and Latin American region.
The announcement of the formation of the Seismic Evaluators Network was made during an event held at the Santiago Governorate.
Cover photo: www.diariohispaniola.com
