Development and application of data collection forms for post-earthquake surveys of structural damage and human casualties

Abstract

To reduce loss of life and injury resulting from earthquakes, the relationship between earthquake-induced building failure and injury severity and distribution needs to be clarified. For this purpose, a series of data collection forms were developed to collect pertinent data for post-event analysis and to provide a basis for structural triage in the field shortly following an earthquake for search and rescue purposes. A companion paper described the identification of variables affecting the outcome of an occupant of a damaged building and the classification of these variables into three levels of priority for data collection. This paper continues the development by describing the design of the data collection forms and the application of the forms to damaged buildings from past earthquakes. These forms represent a significant departure from existing forms in that they consider both casualties and building damage jointly, and in a consistent format.