How fragile are buildings in Bosnia and Herzegovina once exposed to earthquake motion?

Abstract

The 2020 earthquakes that hit the Croatian capital city Zagreb and Petrinja revealed the (un)preparedness of the country once exposed to strong earthquake motion. Three years after, numerous buildings out of 25,000 that have been heavily damaged and destroyed still have not been reconstructed. The effect of the earthquake was felt as well in the bordering cities and towns in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH). Seismic assessment of the existing buildings in BIH is done by individual researchers and there is no defined methodology not policy for such activities. This paper aims to present the work that has been done in this field up to now and to give guidelines for the further work that needs to be conducted. The starting point was the calculation of the earthquake risk for the entire Bosnia and Herzegovina based on the rapid assessment taking into account the vulnerability of buildings, seismic hazard, and population exposure. A more detailed assessment was conducted for the three largest cities in BIH, specifically Sarajevo, Banja Luka, and Tuzla. Typical residential masonry structures were identified, and detailed calculations were conducted, leading to the need for their strengthening. To have a more detailed picture much work has to be conducted.