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Understanding damage  to  non-structural  elements,  identifying sources  of  critical issues,  and  how  damage  affects  the  functionality of facilities are all critical aspects for developing general recommendations concerning disaster risk management. In the present paper a review of non-structural damage caused by recent earthquakes was performed in several localities exposed to seismic hazard such as Mt. Etna in Italy, Lisbon and Azores islands in Portugal and southern Lowland in Iceland. This was needed in order to derive the most common non-structural damage framed into the local situation, which in turn is a basic requirement for a well tailored communication campaign. The observed damage to non-structural elements as derived in this study led to the conclusion that the most commonly damaged elements are partition walls, ceiling systems, non-structural vaults, chimneys, building contents and storage racks. Analyses proved that substantive efforts are needed worldwide to improve techniques for reducing damage to non-structural elements. Non-structural mitigation represents a major opportunity for immediate low-cost action to reduce the impacts of earthquakes at home, school and workplaces. Research results within the KnowRISK EU project was the reference ground upon which a wide range of tools for multi-stakeholders (students, business and citizens) to improve seismic performance of non-structural elements and reducing the associated economic losses, loss of functionality, and potential threats to life safety was designed.

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Extraction of victims entrapped in collapsed structures is the objective of urban search and rescue (USAR) operations. Assessing the potential for live victims and the stability of partially or totally collapsed structures are critical aspects of such operations. This paper outlines relevant activities of the first USAR team arriving in Haiti after the January 2010 earthquake and the supporting actions of their home-base team. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the different aspects of damage assessment and discuss how those aspects relate to overall USAR field operations. Guidelines developed for USAR teams are used to shed additional light on the concept of USAR-related damage assessment. Three broad types of considerations are found to constitute damage assessment, requiring varying levels of detail in damage descriptions: area reconnaissance, exterior structural evaluation, and interior structural-member evaluation. Using available information and communication technology, a home-base team can become an active player in area reconnaissance by providing pre- and post-impact information about the affected area to the USAR team.

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