No abstract

Significant characteristics and main consequences of the 5.5 magnitude earthquake that struck Zagreb and its surroundings in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic are presented in the paper. Although, from the seismologic aspect, the earthquake was of moderate magnitude, it caused the loss of one life and considerable material damage. An overview of the situation before the quake is given, and information about the location, seismic activity, and organisation of building inspection activity, is presented. The data on damage are roughly classified, with the focus on historic core of the city and districts situated close to the epicentre. A strong emphasis is placed on indispensable activities that should have been carried out a long time ago, in the hope that they will be prompted by this earthquake.

This paper highlights the principal features of the Mw5.4 Zagreb earthquake. Located within the city limits at a depth of 10 km, the earthquake generated a peak ground acceleration of more than 0.2 g and a maximum spectral acceleration of about 0.6 g at 0.1 s in the historic downtown area. The situation was particularly challenging since the event occurred amid a partial Covid-19 lockdown at temperatures close to 0 °C, emphasizing the extensive and complex vulnerability of the local communities and individuals. 27 people were reported severely injured, one of which later died. The surprisingly high economic costs, needed to achieve a full reconstruction of damaged buildings and infrastructure in the affected area, are currently evaluated at more than 10B euros. Description of the organization of the emergency response in the first days and the observed damage to buildings is given with typical examples. The focus is on the performance of older masonry residential and cultural heritage buildings in the historic downtown, their inspection and evaluation of damage to structural and non-structural components. This information provides the basis for understanding of the negative impacts and clarifies the overall context identifying the enablers and barriers to the still ongoing recovery process. It also helps to increase the awareness of the seismic vulnerability of European cities with similar construction practices.

Assessments of building damage and usability were of primary importance after the Zagreb earthquake of 22 March 2020. Due to deficiencies of preparatory phase, where education of experts was not carried out before the earthquake, but later on, the assessments contained certain subjectivity and interpretations, based on knowledge and experience, but also on intuition of individuals. Detailed methodology, which should improve rapid assessments and detailed engineering inspections to be performed before reconstruction, is highlighted in the paper. This methodology may be utilized if another devastating earthquake occurs, which could happen already tomorrow.

Seismic risk for Croatia: overview of research activities and present assessments with guidelines for the futureAn overview of numerous methodologically different risk assessments, including sporadic individual initiatives, is presented from the perspective of a leading expert for earthquake risk assessments for Croatia. The aim of the paper is to evaluate and discuss contributions of each of the assessments, but also to caution about their deficiencies i.e. limitations. A common methodology for estimating seismic risk is described by analysing each of its factors, by providing an overview of current research in Croatia and worldwide, and by offering guidelines for further strategic actions, as all existing results reveal that earthquake is an unacceptable risk for Croatia.