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The last National Risk Assessment NRA for Italy was developed at the end of 2018 by the Department of Civil Protection (DPC) in response to the specific requirement of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 to periodically adjourn the assessment of disaster risk. The methodology adopted to perform seismic risk assessment and build national seismic risk maps was specifically developed to comply with the recent Code for Civil Protection, issuing that, in addition to a solid scientific base, risk assessment should be characterized by a wide consensus of the scientific community. As a result, six research units belonging to two Centers of Competence of the DPC, namely ReLUIS (Network of university laboratories for seismic engineering) and EUCENTRE (European Centre for Training and Research in Earthquake Engineering), collaborated under the guidance and coordination of DPC to produce the recent updating of national seismic risk maps for the residential building stock. This paper describes the methodology adopted to develop the consensus-based national seismic risk assessment and presents the main results in terms of expected damage and impact measures (unusable buildings, homeless, casualties, direct economic losses).

Italian Risk MAps (IRMA) is an innovative IT platform developed by European centre for training and research in earthquake engineering (Eucentre) with funds of the Italian Civil Protection Department, and addressed to the scientific community. IRMA allows data sharing, methods and models aimed to evaluate the seismic risk of Italian residential buildings, in order to comply with the requirements of the “Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030” (Sendai Framework). IRMA uses OpenQuake, a calculation engine developed as part of the Global Earthquake Model, to evaluate earthquake loss estimation. The user can create and upload different exposure/vulnerability databases as well as different sets of fragility curves on the platform. The hazard used in the platform is the MPS04 hazard model, developed by National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology that is actually the reference hazard map for the Italian code regulation. IRMA is extremely flexible: by combining the different exposure databases with all the possible sets of fragility curves, the user can produce maps of conditional damage (i.e. the return period is selected) or unconditional damage (i.e. an observation time window is selected). Damage scenarios can also be performed by using shakemaps of seismic events as input. The shakemaps, preloaded in the platform, are those referred to the recent seismic events in Italy. The article describes the context in which IRMA was developed, its features and architecture. IRMA was used in 2018 by DPC to produce the National Risk Assessment, in agreement with EU decision 1313/2013.

In the immediate post-earthquake, the safety conditions of buildings are commonly evaluated by field visual inspections. Then, a second phase involves the design of repair interventions and the relevant funding requests to the government or to insurance companies. The paper discusses the data related to the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake, focusing on the empirical damage and relevant Actual Repair Costs (ARC) of damaged residential buildings derived from requests for funding presented by practitioners engaged by owners in the reconstruction process. In particular, the data collected from a set of 2500 residential Reinforced Concrete (RC) and masonry buildings are presented focussing on the construction age, number of storeys, damage extent on structural components and ARC. A damage index for each building component has been computed according to data collected by field inspections and the relationship between damage index and different classes of buildings is herein outlined. Then, a correlation between the empirical damage and ARC is determined by means of a regression analysis. The proposed relationship between empirical damage and ARC may drive decision makers, in the immediate post-earthquake, to make preliminary estimates of the repair costs, only based on quick surveys on residential buildings. The relationship may also be used as a tool to figure out repair costs based on damage scenarios.

The reconstruction process of residential buildings severely damaged by the 06 April 2009 L’Aquila earthquake, the so called “heavy damage” reconstruction, started after the “light damage” reconstruction process. The “heavy damage” reconstruction involved buildings outside the historical centres assessed as unusable due to high structural and/or non-structural risk. The costs of repair and strengthening of both the “light damage” and the “heavy damage” were directly funded by the State. The procedures to deal with funding applications made by private owners were similar to those related to the “light damage” reconstruction, but specific regulations were issued to regulate the public contributions of severely damaged buildings in L’Aquila and other municipalities. The paper describes such regulations and the data collected during the approval process of funding applications. In particular, the discussion focuses on: the time for the approval of funding applications; the types and costs of the different repair and strengthening interventions designed by practitioners to attain the usability recovery of buildings; the State funding for repair works, strengthening works, tests on material for their mechanical characterization, energy efficiency upgrading, and, in several cases, for demolition and reconstruction; the correlation between structural types of buildings and costs. The process of assessment and State funding of repairs and upgrading of residential buildings outside historical centres that were damaged by the L’Aquila earthquake took less time than past Italian earthquakes with similar or even lower impacts. The data presented may help, inform and encourage decision makers to establish priorities and reconstruction policies for use in the aftermath of future earthquakes. Being prepared for destructive earthquake impacts requires identification of the procedures and tools required to quickly start the reconstruction phase. © 2016 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

Scopo del “Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030” è fornire le linee guida per la gestione delle catastrofi multi-rischio al fine di ridurre sostanzialmente le perdite di vite umane, dei mezzi di sussistenza, nonché economiche, dei beni sociali, culturali e ambientali legati a persone, imprese, comunità e paesi. Con questo obiettivo, nel 2018 il Dipartimento della Protezione Civile italiano (DPC) ha prodotto un documento che illustra la valutazione dei rischi per l’intero territorio nazionale, e le relative elaborazioni, condotte con il sostanziale contributo della comunità scientifica. Per il rischio sismico, è stata sviluppata l’analisi del rischio del patrimonio edilizio residenziale con il coinvolgimento della comunità scientifica italiana attiva nel settore. Assumendo il modello della pericolosità sismica del territorio nazionale prodotto da INGV nel 2004, EUCENTRE (Centro europeo per la formazione e la ricerca nell’ingegneria sismica) e ReLUIS (Rete dei Laboratori Universitari di Ingegneria Sismica) hanno lavorato e collaborato per mettere a punto diversi modelli di vulnerabilità/esposizione validi per gli edifici residenziali e valutare il relativo rischio sismico. Per effettuare le elaborazioni e poter confrontare facilmente i risultati ottenuti con i diversi approcci scientifici adottati dalle unità di ricerca coinvolte, EUCENTRE, su incarico del DPC, ha realizzato la piattaforma IRMA (Italian Risk MAps), che permette di caricare diversi modelli di vulnerabilità/esposizione, effettuare separatamente le elaborazioni del rischio, confrontare e combinare i risultati ottenuti. La collaborazione tra EUCENTRE e ReLUIS, con il coordinamento del DPC, ha portato nel dicembre 2018 alla produzione delle mappe di rischio sismico per il territorio italiano pubblicate nel documento National Risk Assessment (NRA) di valutazione del rischio nazionale

The seismic assessment of the vulnerability of existing public structures, especially school buildings, is a crucial issue in seismic prone countries. Recently, several national and regional programs and activities have focussed on the mitigation of Italian public buildings. They promote the scheduling of public buildings’ structural safety assessment and, when needed, the design and execution of strengthening interventions. Nevertheless, the three strong earthquakes that occurred in the last decade in Italy, Abruzzo (2009), Emilia (2012), and Central Italy (2016), confirmed the vulnerability of school buildings and the social importance of their quick re-opening after a damaging earthquake. In the present paper, the activities carried out on 1514 school building structures in the aftermath of the 2016 Central Italy earthquake sequence are reported and analysed. According to survey data collected by post-earthquake usability inspections, the paper analyses the school buildings characteristics, damage level and extent to structural and non-structural components as well as the correlation between seismic intensity and observed damage.

The Italian “Guidelines for the seismic risk classification of constructions” approved in February 2017 define the technical principles for exploiting tax deductions with respect to seismic strengthening interventions on existing buildings (Sismabonus). Tax deductions represent a unique opportunity to improve the seismic safety of the existing Italian building stock. The guidelines are very simple and allow practitioners to deal with the sophisticated concepts behind modern seismic design, such as expected annual losses (EAL) and repair costs (expressed as a fraction of the Reconstruction Cost: %RC). The seismic risk classes of buildings and the class upgrade due to strengthening interventions can be assessed using the principles included in the guidelines. The seismic risk class is the minimum between the class defined by the building safety index at the ultimate limit state and the one related to the EAL. The latter class depends on the area under the curve of the expected losses, which is easily obtained by computing the safety index converted in the return period (annual frequency) at different limit states and the relevant %RC. This paper illustrates the technical principles at the base of the guidelines and the procedure used to calibrate the repair costs associated with the different limit states using the actual repair costs monitored in the reconstruction process following recent Italian earthquakes. Finally, simple tools to estimate the cost of the strengthening interventions to improve the seismic capacity at the life-safety limit states are provided.

People with psychiatric disorders in humanitarian emergencies are primarily neglected and lack appropriate treatment.This results in unnecessary suiering, stigmatisation, loss of dignity and increased mortality. This paper describes the experience of Me¤ decins Sans Frontie' res in providing emergency psychiatric treatment as a component of a busy medical programme in Mweso, a con£ict aiected region of North Kivu, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Interventions included treatment with psychotropic medications by non specialist physicians and counselling by lay counsellors. Most patients were treated for psychotic disorders with good results. Our experience shows that generalist medical doctors can be trained to diagnose and treat psychiatric disorders. Introduction of emergency psychiatric care in humanitarian emergencies is needed and feasible, despite multiple competing priorities. Key issues to consider are contingency planning forprogramme interruptionsdue tosecurity issues, simpli¢cation of protocols and shared care with mental health counsellors.

After the April 6, 2009, L’Aquila earthquake the damage and usability assessment of buildings were evaluated by in situ inspections carried out on each building in the seismic area through the AeDES form. Several Ordinances of the Prime Minister were issued to regulate repair standards and criteria for reoccupancy of private damaged buildings outside the city historical centre of L’Aquila and surrounding municipalities. The government financial support was established on the basis of repairs, local or global strengthening interventions, or demolition and reconstruction and relevant costs, designed and computed by practitioners engaged by owners and checked by a proper commission entrusted by the Government. The paper discusses the data collected on a set of 1,000 residential masonry buildings focussing on usability rating, building characteristics, damage extent on structural components, and Actual Repair Costs (ARC) computed according to practitioners funding requests. Then, the relationship between the empirical damage and ARC is investigated. To this goal, a building Damage Grade (DG) has been computed based on the damage data collected by AeDES forms and according to the European Macroseismic Scale EMS-98. The study points out that the DG are not fully suitable to define a suitable correlation with ARCs. To this end, further suitable index, specifically calibrated to take into account the weight and extent of damage to each structural component on repair costs, is needed.

Assessment of the seismic damage and usability of the building stock started a few days after the L’Aquila earthquake in order to evaluate the safety conditions of the buildings concerned. Several ordinances of the Prime Minister were issued to regulate the reconstruction process. In particular, based also on damage level, the procedures for repair, strengthening or demolition/reconstruction of residential buildings were established with the definition of relevant state funding. For each damaged building, practitioners engaged by property owners designed repair and strengthening interventions and then computed the corresponding costs. These projects were the technical basis for funding applications that owners submitted to the government. Technical and financial information collected during the approval procedure of such applications allowed compilation of a database regarding 5775 residential buildings damaged by the L’Aquila earthquake. The present study examines the restoration policy and the procedures regulating the reconstruction process of residential property outside city centres. In particular, the data related to the first phase of the reconstruction process (the so-called “light damage” reconstruction) to recover the usability of slightly damaged buildings are illustrated. The discussion focuses on the time-to-approval of funding applications and on the public contributions granted for repair and local strengthening works. © 2016 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

An extensive program of shaking table tests under the name Project JetPacs (Joint experimental testing on Passive and semi active control systems) has been developed with the goal of assessing the effectiveness of seven different passive and semi-active energy dissipating bracing (EDB) systems in controlling the seismic vibrations of framed buildings. The experimental program, carried out considering a 3D 1/1.5 scaled steel frame, was entirely funded by the Italian Department of Civil Protection as part of the RELUIS 2005-2008 project. The following article focuses on the experimental tests carried out considering only two EDB systems, based on hysteretic dampers (HD) and visco-recentring devices (SMA + VD) respectively. Specially shaped low carbon steel plates were used to provide hysteresis in the HD based devices, while the innovative SMA + VD visco-recentring system was made up of a combination of viscous dampers (VD) and shape memory alloy (SMA) wires. In this paper a displacement focused design procedure based on non linear static analysis has been proposed in order to evaluate the mechanical characteristics of both types of energy dissipating device. The aim of this design procedure is to limit inter-storey drifts after frame yielding. In order to assess the robustness of the design procedure and to evaluate the effects of the viscous and recentring components, two different sets of HD and SMA + VD devices characterized by slight alterations in the mechanical properties have been tested and compared. Finally, the experimental seismic response of the structure equipped with and without the HD and SMA + VD elements is reported and compared with numerical results obtained using non linear time history analysis.

This paper presents the results of a series of experimental tests, aimed at investigating the impact and dynamic response of a volcanic shelter. Similar shelters are to be installed in the Stromboli island (Aeolian archipelago, Sicily, Italy), to protect human lives from the pyroclastic eruptions of the volcano. Basically, the Shelter consists of two homologous reinforced concrete shells, interconnected by rubber-based special devices, which absorb and dissipate most of the impact energy. The Shelter has been specifically designed to resist, without damage, an impact with a 150 kg mass rock, knocking the surface of the external shell at 62.5 m/s speed. The experimental tests were carried out on a 1:2-scale model, using a testing apparatus purposely realised to simulate impact conditions comparable with those considered in the design. Impact energy and mass ratio between projectile and reinforced concrete shell were assumed as main experimental parameters and varied during the tests. A finite element model of the Shelter was also implemented and direct-integration time-history analyses were performed, to validate the experimental results. Reference to the Hertz's law was made to simulate the impact between the two bodies. The experimental tests proved the ability of the Shelter to resist impacts without damage. Acceptable agreement between numerical predictions and experimental results was found.

Background Community consultation is increasingly recommended, and in some cases, required by ethical review boards for research that involves higher levels of ethical risk such as international research and research with vulnerable populations. In designing a randomised control trial of a mental health intervention using a wait list control, we consulted the community where the research would be undertaken prior to finalising the study protocol. The study sites were two conflict-affected locations: Grozny in the Chechen Republic and Kitchanga in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Methods Group discussions with a range of community members were held in both study sites. Facilitators used a prepared set of questions to guide the discussions and to solicit feedback on the value of the research as well as on the study design. Specific questions were asked about enablers and barriers to participation in the research. Results Six groups were held in Grozny and thirteen in Kitchanga. The majority of individuals and groups consulted supported the research, and understood the purpose. In Grozny, the main concern raised was the length of the waiting period. Barriers to both waiting and returning for follow up were identified. In Kitchanga, there was a strong reaction against the wait list control and against randomisation. The consultations provided information on unanticipated harms to the community, allowing changes to the study design to mitigate these harms and increase acceptability of the study. It also served to inform the community of the study, and through engaging with them early, helped promote legitimacy and joint responsibility. Conclusion Community consultation prior to finalising the study design for a mental health intervention trial in two humanitarian settings proved feasible. Our experience reinforces the importance of community consultation before the study design is finalised and the importance of broad consultation that includes both community leaders and the potential study participants. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12910-015-0032-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Recent seismic events have clearly confirmed the vulnerability of existing reinforced concrete (RC) structures. In particular, field observation of structures damaged by L’Aquila earthquake strongly confirmed that premature failure of partially confined (i.e. exterior) beam-column joints was one of the main causes limiting the global structural seismic capacity. Poor attention to details and a lack of adequate transverse reinforcement typically lead to premature brittle shear failure of joints. To provide support to practitioners involved in the L’Aquila reconstruction process, a proper guideline which illustrates the design of local retrofit interventions on structural and non structural elements has been edited by the Italian Civil Protection Department (DPC) and the Laboratories University Network of Seismic Engineering (ReLUIS). In particular, a viable FRP strengthening strategy to increase the seismic performances of partially confined joints (design procedure and installation steps) is widely discussed and presented in the document. To validate the strengthening system recommended in this guideline, an experimental program has been carried out on as-built and FRP strengthened full scale corner RC joints (T shaped joints). After presenting the main guideline recommendations for local strengthening of existing structures, the paper focuses on the experimental program activity; in particular, the specimen design strategy and test setup definition as well as the comparative analysis of the behavior of tested joints.

The experimental and numerical results obtained by Research Units of the University of Basilicata and University of Calabria for a steel frame, bare or equipped with metallic yielding hysteretic dampers (HYDs), are compared. The shaking table tests were performed at the Structural Laboratory of the University of Basilicata within a wide research program, named JETPACS ("Joint Experimental Testing on Passive and semiActive Control Systems"), which involved many Research Units working for the Research Line 7 of the ReLUIS (Italian Network of University Laboratories of Earthquake Engineering) 2005-2008 project. The project was entirely founded by the Italian Department of Civil Protection. The test structure is a 1/1.5 scaled two-story, single-bay, three-dimensional steel frame. Four HYDs, two for each story, are inserted at the top of chevron braces installed within the bays of two parallel plane frames along the test direction. The HYDs, constituted of a low-carbon U-shaped steel plate, were designed with the performance objective of limiting the inter-story drifts so that the frame yielding is prevented. Two design solutions are considered, assuming the same stiffness of the chevron braces with HYDs, but different values of both ductility demand and yield strength of the HYDs. Seven recorded accelerograms matching on average the response spectrum of Eurocode 8 for a high-risk seismic region and a medium subsoil class are considered as seismic input. The experimental results are compared with the numerical ones obtained considering an elastic-linear law for the chevron braces (in tension and compression), providing that the buckling be prevented, and the Bouc-Wen model to simulate the response of HYDs.