Articles Tagged with ''natural disaster''

A structural engineers checked the extent of damage to buildings in northern Venezuela following last month's deadly earthquakes and offers insights on what types of construction best weathered the severe seismic event.

International search-and-rescue teams arrive on the scene as the country begins to coordinate relief efforts for people displaced by the massive earthquakes.

Public works departments and the design and construction firms that work for them already see fallout from the suspension of FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program.

The industry seemed to feel trouble coming, according to a recent risk survey.

Officials continue to prioritize fighting the ongoing wildfires that have already consumed 40,600 acres in the region, but are already strategizing on how to undertake the gargantuan cleanup effort.

Kit Miyamoto’s effort as global CEO and humanitarian coordinator at engineering and disaster management firm Miyamoto International and president of the nonprofit Miyamoto Global Disaster Relief is not just work— it’s personal.

Torrential rain brought by Storm Daniel and poor maintenance of two aging, clay-core embankment dams near Derna, a coastal city, are key factors, experts say.

ENR editors are known for their prolific and sometimes challenging overseas travel, especially in reporting on disasters of all kinds.

Technical experts say quakes’ death toll and destruction were made worse by systemic problems in the nation’s building industry.

Says Kit Miyamoto, founder of engineering firm Miyamoto International, after tour of hard-hit area: "The scene of devastation is unlike anything I have seen in my 20 years of working in disaster zones."