ANALYSIS AND DESIGN GUIDELINES OF TSUNAMI EVACUATION BUILDINGS

Abstract

India has witnessed several major disasters such as tsunami, earthquakes, floods, cyclone and blast in the current decade. Tsunamis are among the most terrifying natural hazards known to man and have been responsible for tremendous loss of life and property throughout history. The great Indian Ocean tsunami on 26 December 2004 and its devastating effects have raised questions as to what could be done to prevent or minimize such a level of loss in the future. One of the measures against to Tsunami is to provide Tsunami refuge buildings for people to be evacuated when Tsunami warning is issued. Strategies for mitigating Tsunami risk have generally involved evacuation to areas of naturally occurring high ground outside of the Tsunami inundation zone. In some locations, high ground may not exist, or Tsunamis triggered by local events may not allow sufficient warning time for communities to evacuate low-lying areas. Where horizontal evacuation out of the Tsunami inundation zone is neither possible nor practical, a potential solution is vertical evacuation into the upper levels of structures designed and detailed to resist the effects of a Tsunami. However, very few studies have been carried out about the structural evaluation• of building safety against Tsunami wave loads. Therefore, in order to evacuate people safety to such buildings, a need was felt to formulate guidelines for designing disaster resistant design of structures against Tsunami. Hence the aim of this work is to provide guidance on the design and construction" of structures that could be used as a refuge for vertical evacuation above rising waters associated with Tsunami inundation, and includes specific recommendations on providing tsunami wall, Tsunami loading on TEB, configuration, location, operation; and maintenance of such facilities.