Building safety evaluation following the 30 September 2009 Padang earthquake, Indonesia

Abstract

A ten-member team of engineers was deployed by NZAID and the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering to assist Indonesian local and provincial agencies with rapid structural assessments of earthquake-affected buildings in and around Padang. This was the first time that a team of New Zealand engineers had been operationally deployed outside the Pacific region following a major earthquake. An accompanying paper describes the earthquake and its impacts, and the general observations of the team. This paper outlines the experiences of a team of 10 New Zealand structural engineers deployed on a volunteer basis for two weeks to undertake the deployment process, the arrangements that the team operated under in Padang, the tasks undertaken and the outputs and outcomes achieved. The lessons for building safety evaluation processes in New Zealand are also presented, along with the resulting enhancements to arrangements.