Lessons of the 25 January 1999 Earthquake in Central Colombia

Abstract

On January 25, 1999, an earthquake of magnitude ML = 6.1 occurred in central Colombia, which caused 1,200 deaths, 5,000 injuries, more than 250,000 people affected and economic losses estimated at US$1.2 billion. The earthquake left some important lessons that must be taken into account for the management of similar situations in the future. With respect to the behavior of buildings, the soundness and importance of the code of practice for buildings was demonstrated as a tool for the prevention of seismic disasters. The management of the emergency in cities such as Pereira and Armenia showed the need for planning, continued preparedness and mitigation awareness. The importance of the Colombian Prevention and Disaster Attention System (SNPAD) was demonstrated although the need to enhance organizational aspects, citizen awareness and participation was made evident. The characteristics of the disaster reflect a typical situation that can occur in many Latin American cities located in areas of high seismic risk. This article presents the main lessons learned from this event in the light of work performed by the research team for natural disasters from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of the Universidad de Los Andes.