RADIUS PROJECT - APPLICATION TO THE CITY OF ADDIS ABABA

Pierre Mouroux*, Kifle ESHETE**,Admitachew SEBHAT*** and all RADIUS TEAM

Abstract

The Radius Project (Risk Assessment tools for Diagnosis of Urban areas against Seismic disasters) is an IDNDR initiative ( International Decade for Natural Disasters Prevention) for the mitigation of the effects of major earthquakes in urban areas, more especially in developing countries, and the improvement of public awareness in earthquake prone areas.

The Radius Initiative has achieved 4 main objectives :

1) It has developed  earthquake damage scenarios, risk management and action plans for 9 case study cities selected worldwide, among them Addis Ababa.

2) It has produced a practical manual for seismic damage assessment which could be applied to any earthquake prone city in the world,

3) It has raised public awareness of the seismic risk among members of the society

4)  It has promoted information exchange for seismic risk mitigation at city level.

Addis Ababa is one of the 9 cities, with a Radius case study, for which a seismic scenario, a risk management plan and an action plan could be realized within less than one year , between July 1998 and March 1999, by a team comprising 34 people.

During a first « Scenario Workshop » in February 1999, the results of a scenario earthquake, occurring at 27 km from the center of the city with a magnitude of 6.5, along the rift valley, were presented to some 100 representatives of public and private institutions : these results showed that some 15% of buildings could suffer collapse and 19% , severe damages, leading to some 5,000 deceased, 10,000 injured and 500,000 homeless people. Most buildings of social services ( hospitals, schools,…) would be destroyed ; there will be a lack of relief squads, fire breakouts and public panics, among many other problems. During a second « Action Plan Workshop » in July 1999, these representatives  tried to draw up a plan containing 10 objectives with corresponding strategies and specific initiatives, among them the creation of « Addis Ababa Society for Earthquake Safety (ASES)», for the coordination of all actions which could be undertaken for seismic risk mitigation.

A brochure, a CD-ROM and a website (http://www.unisdr.org/unisdr/radiusindex.htm) present all information about RADIUS Initiatives, in the framework of ISDR (International Strategy for Disaster Reduction), inside United Nations, and especially on Addis Ababa. An International IDNDR Symposium on "The RADIUS Initiative - Towards Earthquake Safe Cities" was also held from 11 to 14 October 1999 in Tijuana, Mexico.

Keywords : seismic hazard, seismic risk, risk scenario, risk management plan, action plan